…Says no child should miss school over sanitary issues

Oluremi Tinubu, Wife of President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, declared that no Nigerian girl should be denied the opportunity to learn and fulfil her potentials because of menstrual hygiene as she flagged off the distribution of two million sanitary towels to schools and N2 billion to 100,000 students.

She also flagged off the back-to-school learning materials to girls in public basic education schools across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at the event.

Oluremi Tinubu described access to education as essential to national development, adding that the intervention is aimed at removing barriers that force girls, particularly those in rural communities, to miss school during menstruation.

“Keeping our girls in school requires us to recognise and address the challenges that affect their education, especially those in rural communities, who often miss school because they do not have access to sanitary products”, she said.

The project, which was initiated under the “Flow with Confidence 2.0”, is being implemented by the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) in commemoration of the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.

The first lady also announced that the N2 billion Learners Retention Support Programme would target 100,000 learners in its first phase, with each beneficiary expected to receive N20,000 to help overcome financial barriers to school attendance and retention.

She noted that the programme built on the initial Flow with Confidence initiative launched by her Renewed Hope Initiative on October 2, 2025, provides a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities nationwide.

She welcomed the decision of the Federal Ministry of Education, through UBEC to take over and expand the programme, saying the distribution of sanitary towels alongside learning materials would help girls return to school with confidence and dignity.

She also charged State First Ladies, Commissioners for Education and Chairmen of State Universal Basic Education Boards to ensure that the materials reach the intended beneficiaries transparently and accountably.

She also urged traditional rulers, religious leaders and community stakeholders to challenge the stigma surrounding menstruation and encourage families to support girls’ education.

“To our beloved girls across Nigeria, I encourage you to believe in your dreams, stay in school, work hard, speak up when you need help

“I want you to grow into confident and courageous women ready to contribute meaningfully to our nation. Nigeria is counting on you and I believe in you”, she stated.

Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education, in his remarks, said the Federal Government is taking steps to ensure that menstrual hygiene support becomes a sustained component of its basic education interventions.

He said the Ministry would institutionalise the programme through UBEC and the World Bank-supported Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) when Senator Oluremi Tinubu launched the first phase a year ago.

The minister also assured that UBEC would make provisions for sanitary towels in its annual budgets, while AGILE would sustain menstrual hygiene support throughout the life of the project.

“Today, we are translating that pledge into practical action. UBEC will make provision within its annual budgets to support the supply of sanitary towels to girls in public basic education schools”, he noted.

The minister said the initial target of reaching 370,000 adolescent girls under the first phase had been achieved, adding that the latest distribution would extend support to more girls across the country.

Aisha Garba, the UBEC Executive Secretary, said a girl’s ambitions should not be limited by circumstances that could be addressed through practical interventions.
She illustrated the challenge with the example of a rural schoolgirl who dreams of becoming a teacher, doctor, engineer or lawyer but is unable to attend school because her family cannot afford sanitary towels.

“Sometimes, the key that unlocks that remarkable future is something as simple as a sanitary towel”, Garba said.

She stated that the two million packs would be distributed alongside school bags, school shoes, exercise books, mathematical sets and writing materials to girls in public basic education schools across the states and the FCT.

Aisha Garba also said UBEC had built more than 4,000 classrooms in less than three years, distributed learning materials to over three million pupils and returned more than 700,000 out-of-school children to school.

Tanko Al-Makura, Chairman of the UBEC Governing Board, said the intervention is also important in preventing girls from dropping out of school and becoming vulnerable to early marriage.

He said girls from poor households were often the first to lose access to education when families faced financial difficulties.

“Child marriage and dropping out of school are two sides of the same coin. A girl rarely leaves school on the day she is married. She leaves weeks and months before, one missed day at a time, until there is nothing left to hold her”, he added.