Lokoja: The Kogi Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project has opened 61 bids for the construction of 28 combined junior and senior secondary schools across the state. The State Project Coordinator, Ahmed Oricha, announced this development during a public bid event in Lokoja.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Oricha stated that the initiative aimed to provide safe and conducive learning environments while expanding educational opportunities for adolescent girls. He noted that the project, under Component 1.1, had received fresh approval from the World Bank, and more than 100 students were expected to benefit from the new schools. Oricha emphasized the importance of transparency, accountability, and strict adherence to quality standards in the project’s implementation, ensuring that all bidders had the opportunity to inspect the project sites.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Education, Wemi Jones, highlighted the exercise as a chance to redefine education intervention
in Kogi State. He acknowledged that the government had faced challenges in funding the education sector but expressed optimism that the partnership would lead to a more equitable and accessible education system. Jones urged bidders to trust the process and accept the outcome in good faith, assuring that the exercise would be conducted transparently.
The bid opening process was witnessed by representatives of the bidders and observers, who confirmed that the bid box was securely locked and untampered. A total of 61 bids were confirmed received before the 12 noon deadline. The names of bidders, bid prices, and other pertinent information were publicly announced and recorded in the official Bid Price Read-Out Sheet.
Representatives from civil society organizations, including Audu Emmanuel, commended the transparency of the exercise. Adeolu Oshadare, a Procurement Officer with L-PRESS, also praised the process. Oricha clarified that the opening exercise did not determine successful or unsuccessful bidders, as a
ll submitted bids would undergo a detailed evaluation in line with procurement requirements. He mentioned that approximately four weeks would be allocated for the evaluation, with the outcome communicated through the official channels specified in the bidding documents.