Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Thursday, October 3, 2025, officially launched the “Flow with Confidence” programme, a flagship project under her Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI), aimed at improving menstrual hygiene and boosting school attendance among girls in rural communities across the country.
The launch, held at the Banquet Hall of Ikeja House, Alausa, saw the distribution of 370,000 sanitary pads valued at ₦2.55 billion to schoolgirls in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The initiative was simultaneously flagged off in Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kebbi, and Lagos States, with others expected to join in the coming weeks.
Speaking at the Lagos event, Hon. Princess Lara Oyekan Olumegbon, member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Lagos Island Constituency 1, described the programme as “a purposeful intervention designed to empower young girls, especially those in rural areas, through improved menstrual hygiene.”
According to Olumegbon, the initiative is about much more than just providing sanitary pads; it is about “restoring dignity, building confidence, and ensuring that no girl is left behind in her education because of something as natural as menstruation.”
Representing the First Lady at the ceremony, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of the Lagos State Governor, emphasised that the project seeks to remove barriers to education caused by menstrual poverty.
“In today’s world, no girl should have to miss school simply because she cannot afford sanitary products,” she said.
The “Flow with Confidence” programme will provide a one-year supply of sanitary pads to thousands of girls, a move expected to significantly reduce absenteeism and dropout rates linked to menstrual challenges.
Olumegbon added that participating in the historic launch was both an honor and “a call to action to continue championing programmes that uplift young girls and give them equal opportunities to thrive.”
The initiative marks another milestone in the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, with the First Lady’s office reaffirming its commitment to empowering women and girls across Nigeria.
