By Peter Oyedele, Abuja
The Erudite Growth and Advancement Foundation-Africa (ErGAF-Africa) has called on the Federal Government to establish sanitary banks in public junior and senior secondary schools across Nigeria to help reduce female absenteeism and improve access to education.
President of the foundation, Chibuzo Okereke, made the call on Tuesday in Abuja during a legislative advocacy session held under the organisation’s flagship Project Hope Alive initiative to mark the 2026 International Day of the African Child.
Speaking on the theme, “Assuring Universal Access to Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Every Child in Africa,” Okereke said many children in underserved communities still lack access to safe drinking water and basic hygiene facilities, affecting their educational development.
According to him, the foundation is advocating the establishment of sanitary banks in public schools to ensure that girls have access to menstrual hygiene products when needed.
“Our advocacy and policy thrust for this programme is that government and institutions of power should establish sanitary banks in all public junior and senior secondary schools across Nigeria.
“There should be a sanitary bank in all schools so that our young girls are not kept out of school over hygiene-related challenges. There should also be toilets with access to water, while clean water should be provided to help protect the health of our children,” he said.
Okereke also called for greater attention to the implementation of the National Safe School Initiative and emphasized the importance of creating a coordinated approach to child protection and development across all levels of government.
“Insecurity is affecting children in Nigeria, and we have the Safe School Initiative. However, implementation and funding remain important issues that require attention.
“We cannot achieve this from Abuja alone. There must be an integrated model for children’s development that involves the federal, state and local governments,” he said.
He further stressed the need for policies that protect all children, particularly those in vulnerable communities, and ensure equal access to education and other essential services.
“The state has a responsibility to ensure that vulnerable children are protected and given opportunities to thrive. Every child deserves support and protection because every child has the potential to contribute meaningfully to society,” he added.
The programme featured a mock Children’s Parliament, where students discussed challenges affecting the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) sector and proposed solutions to improve access to services for children.
The event concluded with the distribution of educational and hygiene materials to less-privileged pupils, as well as spoken-word performances advocating the implementation of the Child Rights Act across all 36 states of the federation.
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