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In 2021, the Minister of Women Affairs in Nigeria, Pauline Tallen revealed that over 37 million Nigerian women and girls lack access to menstrual hygiene products due to financial constraints, especially disabled women and women in rural areas. This means that menstrual hygiene is a luxury that over 37 million Nigerian women and girls lack access to and personally, I didn’t realize what this meant until my cousin missed her JAMB exam because she couldn’t afford a pad.

Her exam was scheduled to hold in Oyo state even though she lived in Ogun state and by the time she arrived at her JAMB center, she had already exhausted the little cash her mother gave her due to the high cost of transportation. While her mates were in the exam hall, she was walking on the lonely streets of Wakajaye, Ibadan, looking for an adult that could spare her N600 (less than $1), to buy a pack of sanitary pad.  She wanted to become a lawyer and for the longest time, her JAMB exam was all she spoke about and it broke my heart to know that something as natural as menstruation was what stopped her from gaining admission into any university that year.

I only know my cousin’s story but there are 37 million other heartbreaking stories from young girls and women that who have suffered immense losses and major health risks simply because of their natural ability to menstruate every month. According to the current data from the World Poverty Clock, about 39% of Nigeria’s population live in abject poverty, with the poverty threshold being $1.90. And menstrual pads typically cost up to $1, more than many Nigerian families earn on a daily basis.

When I was in university, condoms were made freely available on campus but pads were usually sold at extremely expensive rates for most female students. This is an evidence that the federal government of Nigeria does not sympathize with the hurdles of being a woman in 2022.

Safe sex is a voluntary act yet a lot of contraceptives are available for free or at ridiculously low prices. Menstruation is a compulsory biological phenomenon for women and girls regardless of financial preparedness. If safe sex can be seen as a sexual and health right priority, we need the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to remove taxes on all menstrual products, especially imported ones. Policies must be put in place to ensure that all period products are tax-free and less expensive.

In order to make this cause a successful one, I’ll need you to help me sign this petition and share it with everybody you know. 37 million might sound like an ordinary figure until you start to imagine the kind of hell these women go through during their period.

I believe that with your help, menstrual products will become more accessible to women across Nigerian and period poverty would no longer be a part of any woman’s present or future.

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