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‘Pad Me A Girl Initiative’ Commemorates 2025 Menstrual Hygiene Day with Outreaches in Ogun, Abuja
As part of its activities to mark Menstrual Hygiene Day 2025, the “Pad Me A Girl Initiative,” a flagship project of GATMASH MEDIA on Wednesday, had remarkable dual outreaches at Isolog College, Akute, Ogun State, and Area 1 Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camp, Durumi, Abuja.
With the theme: “Overcoming the Challenges in 2030”, it advocated for menstrual dignity, fight period poverty, and empower young girls through knowledge and free essential supplies.
This year’s commemoration went beyond symbolic gestures; it tackled core menstrual health issues in communities often left out of conversations—especially schoolgirls and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
At Area 1 IDP Camp, Durumi, Abuja began with an emotional and impactful outreach where dozens of displaced young girls and women gathered for a life-changing experience.
“Pad Me A Girl Initiative” brought not just supplies, but compassion. Team members led a lively and informative session on menstrual hygiene management, snd taught the girls how to stay clean, safe, and confident during their periods.
The outreach emphasized hygiene practices, myth-busting, and emotional support for girls who have endured hardship in displacement.
Items shared to the girls included Free sanitary pads; Comprehensive menstrual hygiene guide; Exercise books and pens and One-on-one counseling and Q&A.
Expressing her satisfaction with the programme, one of the beneficiaries and a resident of the camp, a 14-year-old Zainab Bature said, “This is the first time someone talked to me about my period in a kind way. I now understand that it is normal, not a curse.”
At the Isolog College, Akute, where a spirited and inspiring event was held in collaboration with the school’s leadership, gave an excellent opportunity to have frank conversations with the students.
In her keynote address, the Convener of “Pad Me A Girl Initiative” and Chief Executive Officer, Gatmash Media, Theresa Moses, said that Menstrual Hygiene Day is not just a date, but a call to action.
She noted, “A girl should not miss school, sports, or success because of her period. This initiative is about restoring what was taken from so many girls: dignity.”
Theresa Moses, a media entrepreneur and gender advocate explained the mission and achievement of the “Pad Me A Girl Initiative,” to include distribution of over 2,000 reusable and disposable sanitary pads in underserved communities.
Also, it has established a “Pad Bank” to serve girls and women in need in IDP camps, rural schools, and marketplaces.
The convener reiterated that, “We are committed to making menstrual hygiene a basic right, not a luxury. Through the Pad Bank, we want to ensure that no girl or woman will ever choose between a meal and getting a pad again.”
Moses emphasized that menstrual hygiene is not just about physical health, but about confidence, inclusion, and gender equality.
In the Interactive Session with Mrs. Amina Omoike, the Guest Speaker and a Media Expert and Life Coach, who rendered a touching and relatable talk, drew inferences from her own journey as a woman and mother.
“When I had my first period, I thought something was wrong with me. No one told me it was natural. Today, I tell you—it is not just natural, it is powerful, she recounted.
In her analysis covering key hygiene practices, she explained the necessity of changing pads every 4–6 hours; Washing hands before and after changing it; Avoiding perfumed soaps and antiseptics in intimate areas; and Choosing breathable fabrics.
Importantly, Mrs Amina Omoike stressed the need for young girls to ask questions, speak up, and be their sister’s keeper.
“You are not alone. If you are confused, talk to your teacher, your mother, or your friend. Shame dies when we speak.”
Earlier in her opening remarks, the Vice Principal, Isolog College, Mrs. Ihomuehe Egumah, said “this is not just a programme, it’s a legacy moment. Today we give our girls what many of us never had: knowledge, support, and dignity.
“We thank the “Pad Me A Girl Initiative” for choosing our school and sowing these seeds of confidence.”
While encouraging the students to be proud of their identity as girls, added that they should not allow shame or stigma to define their experience with menstruation.
During the event, there were sundry Goodwill messages from partners. Among whom were Mr. Lawal Abiodun Adeyemi, BL Consulting, “This initiative is the kind of action our country needs. It doesn’t just provide materials; it builds a movement. Pad Me A Girl is changing lives, one girl at a time.”
To Mr. Paul Maduakor, CEO, ProStar Sports International said, “I see champions in this room. Girls who will go on to become leaders, athletes, doctors, and innovators. Periods do not define you—your dreams do.”
To bridge the gap in access to hygiene materials, Pad Me A Girl Initiative distributed essential materials which included: Sanitary pads; Pens and exercise books; Menstrual hygiene booklets and Referral and access information for the Pad Bank.
“This did not only equip the girls physically, but also gave them long-term tools to manage their health and studies with confidence. We are not just giving out pads—we are rewriting the story of what it means to be a girl in Nigeria,” Theresa Moses, Convener, “Pad Me A Girl Initiative” reiterated.
The twin outreach programmes reached out to over 500 girls and young women at both locations, leaving behind not only supplies but new narratives of empowerment.
“Pad Me A Girl Initiative” is a menstrual health campaign by GATMASH MEDIA, committed to ending period poverty and advancing menstrual equity through: Advocacy; Education; Sanitary product distribution and Sustainable Pad Bank networks.
With a reach of over 2,500 girls and ongoing programmes across Nigeria, the initiative is one of the nation’s most impactful menstrual hygiene campaigns.
The management of Dangote Refinery has terminated the employment of all its Nigerian workers.
The statement to this effect was shared on X, Wednesday, by a political commentator, Imran Wakili.
“Dangote Refinery has officially laid off all of its Nigerian workers under the guise of “reorganization”, less than 24 hours after 90% of them joined PENGASSAN,” he wrote.
Wakili said the development comes less than 24 hours after 90 percent of them joined the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN.
According to a memo dated September 25, 2025, and signed by the Chief General Manager of Human Asset Management, Femi Adekunle, Wakili posted on X, the company said the decision was taken as part of a “total re-organisation” of the plant following reported cases of sabotage in different units of the refinery.
The notice directed affected staff to surrender all company property in their possession to their line managers and obtain exit clearance.
The finance department was also instructed to compute benefits and entitlements for payment in line with terms of employment.
The refinery’s management thanked the dismissed workers for their services while in its employment.
DAILY POST reports that Dangote refinery and PENGASSN have been embroiled in a trade dispute over unionization issue.
DailyPost
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has been asked to investigate the financial activities of the former Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd.).
Human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, through a public interest law firm, has petitioned the ICPC Chairman, stating that Rivers State received at least N283.3 billion under Ibas’ watch between March 18 and September 17, 2025, excluding Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
According to figures cited from the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the amount comprised N36.6 billion in local government allocations for January and February 2025, previously withheld, and N246.7 billion in state and local government allocations between March and June 2025.
“Despite these massive inflows, there is little to no evidence of projects or tangible development carried out by his administration,” the petition alleged.
The group claimed the only visible project was the “cosmetic renovation and painting” of the Rivers State House of Assembly complex.
The law firm further accused Ibas of failing to publish the mandatory budget performance reports for Q2 2025, in violation of transparency laws.
It also faulted comments attributed to his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubu, suggesting that the former administrator was not accountable to the Rivers State House of Assembly.
“Equally troubling are recent statements credited to him, dismissing the authority of the Rivers State House of Assembly to probe his financial conduct. He insists that because he was appointed by the President and supervised by the National Assembly, he was only answerable to them,” the petition read.
The firm urged the ICPC to probe how the ₦283.3bn was applied, determine if misappropriation occurred, and hold Ibas accountable if wrongdoing is established.
“It is in light of the foregoing that we respectfully demand that the ICPC probe the financial expenditure of Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas (rtd.), ascertain how the total amount of N283.3bn was applied, and investigate whether any acts of misappropriation, diversion, or abuse of office occurred during this period,” the petition stated.
Ibas, a retired naval chief and former Chief of Naval Staff (2015–2021), was appointed by President Bola Tinubu in March 2025 as Sole Administrator of Rivers State after the declaration of a state of emergency.
His six-month appointment sparked controversy over its constitutionality and the concentration of executive powers in an unelected administrator. He handed over on September 17, 2025, when Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the Rivers House of Assembly were reinstated.
The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, on Tuesday, disclosed that her 65th birthday anniversary fund-raising drive has so far yielded N20,456,188,924.93, with donations still trickling in.
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, Mrs. Tinubu said the donations would go toward completing the long-abandoned National Library project, a cause she described as deeply personal.
“This is not the first or second time I have raised money for a worthy cause,” she noted, recalling that at her 45th birthday, she raised N50 million for the completion of the National Sickle Cell Foundation Centre, and at 50, mobilized N200 million for the New Era Foundation and other charities.
She dismissed speculations of political undertones behind the project, insisting that her focus was on nation-building and giving back.
Citing inspirations from writers like Khalil Gibran and former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, the First Lady said: “It doesn’t take much to do good. Most of the work I’ve ever done is not something new; I just make it look big, and at the end of the day, it turns big.”
Mrs. Tinubu traced the history of the National Library project, initiated in 1981, approved in 2006 with a budget of N8.2 billion, and later reviewed to over N23 billion.
She emphasised that with collective will, Nigerians can deliver the 11-story structure within two years.
“I have played my part. The Oluremi@65 Fund will close in December. Nigerians can still donate until then. But to the glory of God, we already have over N20.4 billion and it is still growing,” she declared.
The First Lady expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and his wife Nana, former First Ladies, National Assembly leaders, state governors, captains of industry, including Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Dr. Jim Ovia, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), as well as royal fathers, among others, for their goodwill and support.
She pledged that the names of all donors would be published in national dailies as a mark of respect and accountability.
