Jane Salihu
The Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) has identified menstrual hygiene challenges and financial constraints as barriers to girls’ education, as the Federal Government launches the distribution of two million packs of sanitary towels and learning materials to schoolgirls nationwide.
The initiative, tagged Flow with Confidence 2.0: Keeping Every Girl in School, was flagged off on Monday by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the State House Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, as part of activities marking the 2026 International Day of the Girl Child.
Speaking at the ceremony, UBEC Executive Secretary, Dr. Aisha Garba, said the intervention was designed to improve school attendance and retention by addressing challenges that prevent girls, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, from participating fully in education.
She stressed that no girl should be forced to miss school because she could not afford sanitary products, noting that menstrual hygiene support was essential to protecting girls’ dignity and improving their educational outcomes.
“Our message is clear: no girl child should have to choose between her dignity and her education,” Garba said.
She commended the First Lady, the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, and the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, for supporting efforts to expand access to education and advance the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to Garba, the initiative will provide girls in public basic education schools across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with two million packs of sanitary towels, alongside school bags, shoes, exercise books, mathematics textbooks and other writing materials.
She explained that the programme builds on the original Flow with Confidence initiative launched by the First Lady on October 2, 2025, which provided a one-year supply of disposable sanitary pads to 370,000 schoolgirls in rural communities nationwide.
Garba described the expansion as a step towards reaching more beneficiaries and strengthening national efforts to keep girls in school.
Beyond the sanitary towel distribution, the UBEC chief disclosed that the Commission had facilitated the construction of more than 4,000 classrooms nationwide in less than three years, alongside the provision of water and sanitation facilities, learning materials and teacher development programmes.
She added that more than three million pupils benefited from back-to-school materials in the preceding year, while approximately 700,000 out-of-school children had been supported to return to the classroom through interventions involving UBEC and other relevant stakeholders.
Garba also highlighted a scholarship intervention under the Commission’s Learners Retention Support Programme, which is expected to benefit 100,000 learners in its first phase.
Under the programme, each beneficiary is expected to receive ₦20,000, with a total allocation of ₦2 billion to help ease financial difficulties affecting school attendance and retention.
She called on state governments, State Universal Basic Education Boards, traditional and religious leaders, parents, teachers and development partners to ensure transparent implementation and effective distribution of the interventions.
In her remarks, the First Lady said keeping girls in school required deliberate efforts to address the challenges affecting their education, particularly in rural and underserved communities where limited access to sanitary products could contribute to absenteeism.
She commended UBEC for expanding the programme and reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring that Nigerian girls could pursue their education with dignity, confidence and adequate support.
Tinubu also urged state first ladies, commissioners for education and SUBEB chairmen to ensure accountability in the distribution of the educational support, while calling on community leaders to help eliminate the stigma associated with menstruation.
The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, described the initiative as a further step towards improving access to education and addressing the barriers preventing children, particularly girls, from completing their studies.
He commended President Tinubu for prioritising education and human capital development, while urging students to take advantage of government interventions and remain focused on their studies.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Education, Professor Suwaiba Sa’id Ahmad, said the programme demonstrated the Federal Government’s efforts to promote menstrual health, protect the dignity of the girl child and improve school attendance.
Garba assured parents and stakeholders that UBEC would sustain collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education, state governments and development partners to improve enrolment, attendance and retention, particularly among vulnerable learners.
She urged girls to remain confident in their aspirations, stressing that poverty and preventable challenges should not deny any Nigerian child access to education.Alternative headline: Girl-Child Education: UBEC Rolls Out 2m Sanitary Packs, ₦2bn Learner Support Scheme
The main headline gives the story a stronger news angle by connecting menstrual hygiene to school attendance and retention, rather than simply reporting the flag-off ceremony.