Mercy Johnson Under Fire Over ₦25,000 Girls Tag Menstrual Kit

Mercy Johnson Under Fire Over ₦25,000 Girls Tag Menstrual Kit

Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson-Okojie has come under intense criticism on social media following her unveiling as a brand ambassador for Girls Tag, a menstrual and puberty care product reportedly priced at ₦25,000, sparking fresh debate over period poverty in Nigeria.

The controversy began after Mercy Johnson and her daughter, Purity Okojie, were introduced as ambassadors for the brand, alongside fellow actress Regina Daniels, who was later also unveiled as a face of the product.

Girls Tag is described as an all-in-one menstrual hygiene and puberty kit designed for girls aged nine and above. The package reportedly includes sanitary pads, period pants, panty liners, wipes, sanitary bags, a purse, and an educational puberty guidebook authored by the actress.

While the brand positions the product as a premium hygiene and education solution, its pricing has triggered widespread outrage online, with many Nigerians describing it as insensitive amid rising inflation and worsening economic hardship.

Across social media platform X (formerly Twitter), users argued that essential menstrual products should not be marketed as luxury items in a country where millions of girls already struggle to afford basic sanitary needs.

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Critics say period poverty in Nigeria remains a serious public health and education challenge, with reports indicating that many schoolgirls miss classes during menstruation due to lack of access to affordable sanitary products.

One user, @Lai, defended the brand’s commercial approach, saying:

“Not everyone is a philanthropist. Nigeria’s problems are not everybody’s problem. She knows who her customers are. This is business.”

However, others strongly disagreed. User @MsJorji wrote:

“Mercy Johnson, you are an embarrassment to women. In a country where women are struggling to afford sanitary pads, you want to charge 25k for a sanitary pad.”

Another user, @ATallEdoGirl, commented:

“The target audience had to be baddies.”

@kenny added:

“Nigeria is a poor country. Elitism should never extend to the basic rights and dignity of girls and women. Sanitary pads are not luxury items.”

Another user, @bidemi wrote:

“In a country where sanitary pads are meant to be free, someone is selling them for 25k and people are defending it because of packaging.”

The backlash highlights growing frustration over the commercialization of essential health products, particularly for women and girls, in Nigeria’s current economic climate.

Supporters of Girls Tag, however, argue that the product goes beyond sanitary pads, combining menstrual hygiene supplies with puberty education, emotional guidance, and confidence-building resources for young girls transitioning into adolescence.

They maintain that the premium pricing reflects the comprehensive nature of the kit, even as critics insist that affordability remains a key issue in addressing menstrual health inequality.

The debate continues to trend online, reigniting broader conversations about women’s health, sanitary pad affordability in Nigeria, and the need for stronger policy interventions to address menstrual hygiene challenges across the country.

Mercy Johnson Under Fire Over ₦25,000 Girls Tag Menstrual Kit