By Ijeoma Agbafo
No fewer than 32 companies have submitted bids for contracts under the Sokoto State Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) programme to execute education infrastructure and equipment projects across the state.
The contracts include the construction of laboratories, multipurpose halls, administrative blocks and solar installations, as well as the supply of school furniture, computers and digital teaching tools to 28 junior and senior secondary schools.
Declaring the bid opening in Sokoto on Wednesday, the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ladan Ala, represented by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Sanusi Aliyu-Binji, assured bidders of a transparent and fair process, stressing that only competent contractors would be engaged to deliver quality projects.
The Sokoto State AGILE Project Coordinator, Dr Mansur Isah-Buhari, represented by the Deputy Coordinator, Dr Kabiru Gobir, urged successful bidders to comply with the terms of the contract, saying the projects were aimed at improving the standard of education in the state.
The AGILE Chief Procurement Officer, Alhaji Shehu Garba, said the contracts were advertised in national newspapers and attracted bids from companies across the country, adding that all procurement procedures were duly followed in the presence of bidders and independent observers.
