17/09/2026
Kogi AGILE Opens Bids for Construction of 28 Secondary Schools Across 21 LGAs
By Bishop Aturu
The Kogi State Adolescent Girls’ Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) Project has conducted a public bid opening for the procurement and construction of 28 combined Junior and Senior Secondary Schools across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state.
The exercise, held on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at the Kogi State AGILE Project Office, No. 3 Upake Street, GRA, Lokoja, was conducted under Request for Bids (RFB) No. NG-KOGI ADF-564311-CW-RFB.
The procurement is part of the AGILE Project’s broader intervention to improve school infrastructure, strengthen the learning environment and expand access to quality education for adolescent girls and other beneficiaries across the state.
A total of 99 companies/contractors purchased the bidding documents, while 66 bids were received by the stipulated deadline of 12 noon on September 16, 2026.
Declaring the bid submission period closed at exactly 12 noon, the State Project Coordinator of Kogi AGILE, Alhaji Ahmed Tijani Oricha, welcomed the participating bidders, observers and project staff to the exercise.
Oricha stressed the importance of transparency, fairness and accountability throughout the procurement process, noting that the exercise must be conducted in strict accordance with applicable procurement procedures and requirements.
He said the construction of the 28 secondary schools represents an important component of the AGILE intervention aimed at providing more conducive learning environments for adolescent girls in Kogi State.
The State Project Coordinator urged all participants to observe the proceedings carefully and maintain order throughout the exercise, while wishing the participating bidders success in the procurement process.
Also speaking, the Honourable Commissioner for Education, Hon. Wemi Jones, welcomed the participating contractors, observers and officials, and appreciated stakeholders for their commitment to the procurement process.
The Commissioner emphasised the importance of transparency, fairness and due process, noting that the intervention would contribute to improving learning environments and expanding access to quality education for adolescent girls across the state.
He wished the participating bidders a successful exercise and formally declared the session open.
Before the opening of the bids, representatives of participating bidders were invited to witness the inspection of the bid box.
The Procurement and Evaluation Teams, in the presence of bidders and observers, confirmed that the bid box was securely locked and showed no indication of having been tampered with or opened before the scheduled exercise.
The bid box was subsequently opened and the bid documents removed and counted. A further inspection confirmed that no bid document remained inside the box, with 61 bids confirmed as having been received before the deadline.
The bids were thereafter opened publicly, with the names of bidders and bid prices, alongside other information required under the bidding documents, read aloud and recorded in the official Bid Price Read-Out Sheet.
Participants and observers expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the exercise.
The representative of the Civil Society Organisation, Mr. Audu Emmanuel, commended the transparency of the process and the procedures followed during the public opening.
Similarly, Mr. Adeolu Oshadare, Procurement Officer from the sister project, L-PRESS, commended the exercise and wished the AGILE Project success in the subsequent stages of the procurement process.
The participating bidders also commended the process and expressed confidence in the transparency of the subsequent evaluation exercise.
Clarifying the next stage of the procurement process, the State Project Coordinator explained that the public bid opening was limited to the opening and reading of information required under the bidding documents.
He stressed that no bidder was declared successful or unsuccessful at the bid-opening stage, as the submitted bids would undergo detailed evaluation in accordance with the applicable procurement requirements.
The Procurement Officer further informed participants that approximately four weeks would be set aside for the evaluation process, after which the outcome would be communicated through the official channels specified in the bidding documents.
In his closing remarks, the Sub-Component Lead for 1.1, Omeiza Aliu, thanked the participating bidders, observers, Procurement and Evaluation Teams, and other Project staff for their cooperation and orderly conduct throughout the exercise.
He wished all participants safe journeys to their respective destinations.
