FCT Education Secretariat pledges immediate implementation of Menstrual Health Society in Abuja schools; event draws government ministers, legislators, UN agencies, and over 60 students
ABUJA, NIGERIA. 3rd June 2026
Flow With Pride Impact Hub (FWPIH), in official partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation, last wednesday marked World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026 with a landmark commemoration event at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre in Abuja’s Central Business District. The event, which surpassed its 100-person hall capacity with 108 registered participants, concluded with the historic official launch of Nigeria’s first structured school-based Menstrual Health Society and a public commitment by the FCT Education Secretariat to implement the initiative across Abuja secondary schools immediately.
The commemoration brought together adolescent girls and boys, female teachers, health professionals, government officials, legislators, international representatives, civil society organisations, and advocates, under the theme: “Puberty. Enlightenment. Routines. Involvement. Dialogue.” – PERIOD. Three FCT public secondary schools sent official delegations comprising 57 students and 6 teachers. The overflow of participants beyond the venue’s capacity was described by organisers as a testament to the urgency and resonance of the menstrual health conversation in Nigeria.
A Historic First: The Menstrual Health Society
The defining moment of the day was the official unveiling of the FWPIH Menstrual Health Society, a structured, school-based club initiative designed to permanently embed menstrual health education within Nigerian secondary schools. The Society was formally launched by a high-powered assembly of dignitaries including the representative of the FCT Education Mandate Secretary, the representative of Distinguished Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe of the Federal Capital Territory, the representative of the FCT Youth and Sports Mandate Secretary, AF Sheyindemi PhD, Gender Adviser to the Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service and student representatives from participating FCT secondary schools.
In an unscripted and significant moment, the Director for Special Duties of the FCT Education Secretariat made a public pledge before the assembled guests that the Menstrual Health Society would be implemented in FCT secondary schools without delay, through integration with the Gender Clubs already operating within the school system. She confirmed the Secretariat’s full collaboration in ensuring the Society becomes a permanent feature of Abuja’s secondary school landscape.
“The Menstrual Health Society is not a one-day event,” said Nwankwo Chioma Emilia, Co-Founder and Executive Director of FWPIH, in her welcome address. “It is a permanent structure that lives inside the school, led by the students themselves, and sustained week after week, term after term, year after year. Today, we are planting something that will outlast all of us in this room.”
Government and Institutional Representation
The event drew significant institutional representation from across the Nigerian government and the international community. The Nigerian Correctional Service was represented in person by Gender Adviser AF Sheyindemi PhD, who delivered the first keynote address on the menstrual health experiences of female inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities. The office of Senator Ireti Heebah Kingibe, FCT Senator and Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Women Affairs, was represented by Senior Legislative Aide Dr. Mercy Kwabe, who delivered the second keynote address on menstrual health as a human right and the legislative path forward.
Day One: Prison Outreach at Suleja
The Abuja commemoration was the second of two events marking World Menstrual Hygiene Day 2026 for FWPIH. On Monday, 2nd June 2026, the organisation conducted a menstrual health outreach visit to the Female Wing of the Suleja Custodial Centre in Niger State, in partnership with the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation and the Gender Unit of the Nigerian Correctional Service Headquarters. The outreach included a health education session delivered by menstrual health educator Favour Oluchi Christopher, an open dialogue with female inmates, and the distribution of sanitary products and healthcare items. It marked one of the first documented menstrual health advocacy interventions conducted inside a Nigerian correctional facility.
About Flow With Pride Impact Hub
Flow With Pride Impact Hub (FWPIH) is a Nigerian non-governmental organisation dedicated to menstrual health advocacy, girls’ empowerment, and youth education. Founded following a government mandate from the Federal Ministers of Health, Women Affairs, and Youth Development after the Abuja screening of the Flow With Pride Documentary, FWPIH operates in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Foundation. The organisation is developing the Flow With Pride Podcast, championing the Menstrual Health and Hygiene Act 2026, and building the Menstrual Health Society as a national school-based movement. FWPIH is an official partner of Menstrual Hygiene Day, part of a global coalition of over 1,150 organisations working toward a #periodfriendlyworld.
The Flow With Pride Documentary is currently streaming globally on GuideDoc (guidedoc.tv).
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