Sema Fonkem 24 May 2026

In a time when many African countries are fighting for every girl child or women in general to have free sanitary pads, Nollywood actress Mercy Johnson has made a mockery of the situation by releasing a menstrual kit called Girls Tag worth  ₦25,000.00, an equivalent of $18.24 USD.

Many Nigerians are questioning Mercy Johnson’s loyalty to the majority of her audience who are lower and middle class citizens. They say packaging Girls Tag menstrual kit as luxury brand is inconsiderate and directly mocks poor women in Nigeria.

A large population of Nigeria suffer from extreme poverty and hardship due to high unemployment in the country and the national minimum wage is set at ₦70,000.00 per month.

A person who earns ₦70,000.00 monthly will have give up 35% of their salary for Girls Tag menstrual kit. A mother with four daughters will have to get two extra jobs to buy this sanitary pads.

Actress Regina Daniels who serves as a brand ambassador for Johnson’s luxury brand has also received backlash for her actions and decision to promote price hike for essential goods.

Both Daniels and Johnson have been termed callous by the public for commercialising women’s pain and show disregarding period poverty.

Some have argued that Johnson is a citizen of a democratic nation and she is allowed to create a product for the rich.

The inception of Girls Tag sanitary pad has raised a serious discussion about the role of Nigeria’s Competition and Consumer Protection Commission which is meant to assist in regulating the prices of basic necessities.