The wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday, flagged off the distribution of 370,000 sanitary pads worth N2,550,297,150 billion for school girls in rural communities across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

Speaking during the launch, under her Renewed Hope Initiative, “Flow with Confidence,” Remi, who was represented by the wife of the Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, noted that the programme was a vital menstrual health intervention designed to empower school girls, especially in the rural communities.

The flag off took place at the State House, Alausa, Ikeja, where schoolgirls and government officials were in attendance.

The programme was also simultaneously launched on Thursday in Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos states. It is expected that other states will also be launching as soon as they get their supplies.

The high cost of sanitary pads, aided by economic hardship and poverty, may expose teenage girls to infections and infertility.

Last December, the founder of HopeForHer Humanitarian Foundation, Enyia Chiamaka, who provides menstrual hygiene education, told media how she relied on rags and tissue paper for menstrual flow as a teenager.

She noted that using inadequate menstrual products led to infections, which were costly to treat, an experience that sparked her desire to address the systemic issues surrounding menstrual health.

Remi, whose speech was read at the Thursday event by Sanwo-Olu’s wife, said, “In today’s modern world, no girl should have to miss school because of her inability to afford sanitary products. It is unacceptable that our girls still continue to face significant challenges during their menstrual cycle, especially those in rural communities, who miss school days every month because they cannot afford sanitary pads.

“Some who attend schools resort to using unsafe and unhygienic alternatives, while others stay at home altogether, falling behind in their studies and, in some cases, eventually dropping out of school. This trend must end, and this intervention, under the education framework of the Renewed Hope Initiative, is aimed at doing just that.”

She added, “We will be distributing a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 school girls in rural communities across the nation at the end of this programme.

“All states and the Federal Capital Territory will receive 10,000 packs each through the state’s first ladies and the RHI coordinators. This is to support our girls in rural communities and those who are unable to afford sanitary pads.

“We chose disposable sanitary pads because they offer a simple, hygienic option that offers better health benefits for a woman’s reproductive well-being.

“For us at the Renewed Hope Initiative, we believe that no girl should ever have to choose between her dignity and her education.”

In his welcome address, the Lagos State Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, said the programme emphasised the concern the president’s wife had for the girls, especially at the grassroots.

Alli-Balogun, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Abisola Adegbite, noted that it was a challenge in the past for girls to understand their menstrual cycles.

The Commissioner added that the event underscored the seriousness attached to girl-child education.