The office of the wife of the president, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, in collaboration with the office of the wife of the Adamawa State governor, Hajia Lami Umaru Fintiri, has flagged off the distribution of sanitary pads to 424 secondary schools across Adamawa State. The programme was launched as part of efforts to promote menstrual hygiene, improve school attendance and empower adolescent girls in the state.
The initiative, themed Flow with Confidence, was flagged off at the Government Girls Secondary School in Yola. Hundreds of students, teachers, government officials and development partners gathered at the school for the official launch of the sanitary pad distribution programme.
The effort is spearheaded by the office of the wife of the president under her Renewed Hope Programme, working alongside the office of the wife of the Adamawa governor. Its stated aim is to ensure that young girls have access to essential menstrual hygiene products, which many cannot easily afford.
Setting the tone for the event, the Commissioner for Women Affairs stressed the importance of menstrual health management. She said it plays a direct role in boosting the confidence, dignity and academic performance of schoolgirls, framing access to pads as more than a simple welfare gesture.
The first lady of Nigeria, represented at the event by the first lady of Adamawa State, described the initiative as a significant step toward safeguarding the health and well-being of adolescent girls across the state. She told the gathering that the programme was about giving hope to the young girl child so that nothing would stop her from staying in school.
The principal of the host school welcomed the intervention, describing it as timely and impactful for the students. Officials at the launch echoed that view, presenting the distribution as a practical response to a problem that has long kept girls out of the classroom.
Speakers pointed to a recurring pattern in which a girl on her menstrual cycle simply does not come to school because she lacks pads. By putting the products directly into the hands of students, the organisers said, the programme is meant to remove that barrier and keep adolescent girls in class throughout the school term.