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Abuja, March 14, 2025—Plan International, an international non-governmental organisation that promotes girls' and children’s rights, has lauded the Bauchi State House of Assembly for passing a bill to establish sanitary pad banks in schools and community centres across the state. The Country Director of Plan International Nigeria, Charles Emmamuzou Usie, described the event in a statement as “consequential and epoch-making for adolescent girls in Bauchi state, being the first to take this step in the entire country.”
While congratulating the legislators led by the Speaker, Right Honourable Abubakar Y. Suleiman, for the historic passage of the bill, he called on the state governor to treat the newly passed bill with the same speed he treated the child protection bill in December 2023.”
“The new bill on the establishment of pad banks in schools, when signed into law by the state governor, will help to reduce girls' absenteeism from school as a result of their lack of funds to buy pads during their menstrual period,” Usie said.
About 500 million women globally lack access to menstrual products and adequate facilities for menstrual hygiene management (MHM), according to World Bank estimates(1).
In Nigeria, especially in the northeast region ravaged by insurgency, the poor access to menstrual hygiene products for girls in school is exacerbated by poverty.
From 2021 to 2023, Plan International Nigeria implemented a pilot menstrual health project in Bauchi state where it pioneered the establishment of pad banks for adolescent girls in schools. It was a successful project as it ensured that more girls in the selected schools, where the project was implemented, continued attending classes despite experiencing their menstrual flow, a departure from the norm before the project. The project, which was implemented with the active support of the state government, was one of Plan International’s modeling efforts at supporting governments at all levels and highlighting what they could do to fulfil the rights of children, girls, and young women.
“We are excited that this model is now being legislated on by the state, not only for schools but for community and correctional centres. We are equally excited that the success of the Pad Bank intervention has inspired women-led organisations such as the ASHH Foundation and Child is Gold Foundation among others to support the process leading to the passage of the bill.
“This is a huge leap forward for the protection of girls in Bauchi state and a brighter prospect for their future through continuous learning,” said Usie.
Highlighting the footprints of Plan International Nigeria in Bauchi state, he further stated that “in 2023, we had worked closely with the Bauchi state government, providing technical support for the lawmakers to pass the child protection bill. We trained 18 women's rights organisations including the 100 women group in the state who participated actively during the public hearing on the pad bank bill.”
Apart from this, the Plan Nigeria’s country director said that “we implemented the Bauchi Opportunities for Responsive Neonatal and Maternal Health (BORN) project from 2016 to 2020 which transformed maternal and child health in the state leading to the current project focusing on integrated sexual and reproductive health and rights with funding from Global Affairs Canada since 2022.”
He said: “The project also seeks to improve education, livelihood and mental well-being for adolescents and will continue to support Bauchi and Sokoto states in system strengthening for the rights of children, especially girls.”
Usie further called on other states and indeed the federal government to emulate the pioneering role of the Bauchi state lawmakers to make period poverty a thing of the past in Nigeria.
About Plan International Nigeria
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian non-profit organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. We support children’s rights from birth until they reach adulthood, and enable children to prepare for – and respond to – crises and adversity. We believe in the power and potential of every child, but know this is often suppressed by poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination.
Working together with children, young people, supporters and partners, we strive for a just world, tackling the root causes of the challenges girls and vulnerable children face. We have been building powerful partnerships for children for over 80 years and are now active in more than 70 countries, driving changes in practice and policy at local, national and global levels using our reach, experience and knowledge. Plan International is registered in Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
All enquiries to be directed at
Yunus Abdulhamid
Communications Advisor, Plan International Nigeria
yunus.abdulhamid@plan-international.org