The wife of the Ekiti State governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi, has promised to train unemployed young women in the state to produce reusable sanitary pads.
Mrs Fayemi made the pledge at the inauguration of a programme tagged ‘Keep Girls in Schools Pad Bank’ on Thursday in Okemesi-Ekiti in Ekiti West Local Government Area of the state.
She said that it was to reduce poverty level and increase access to safe menstrual hygiene.
Mrs Fayemi urged those interested in producing reusable pads to make themselves available, stressing that arrangements had been concluded with an organisation that would train them.
She said the essence of coming up with the programme was to keep mature girls in school during menstrual period.
The wife of the governor also said that the proposed mental health bill is being worked on to check the activities of some individuals engaging in sexual molestation of lunatics and mentally challenged women.
“The proposed bill will soon be taken to the House of Assembly for legislative action.
“We have different cases of lunatics being impregnated in the state, while their children have been taken to motherless homes, but we want this to stop,” she explained.
The chairman, Ekiti West Local Government, Mr Kareem Agunbiade, enjoined parents to support government in provision of pads for their girls, most especially when the reusable ones distributed are exhausted.
The Chief Press Secretary to the State Governor, Mr Yinka Oyebode, in his remarks urged the students to take full advantage of the state’s free education programme.
He also appealed to the students to pay adequate attention to their studies so as to realise their dreams of becoming great citizens and source of pride to their parents and the country.
The Owa Oye of Okemesi-Ekiti, Oba Gbadebo Adedeji, commended the initiative in view of the inconveniences experienced by school girls during their menstrual period.
Students were drawn from Okemesi/ Ido-Ile constituency in Ekiti West Local Government Area.