Kogi AGILE SPSC chairman commends SPIU on proactivity, hard work

 

The Chairman of the Kogi State Project Steering Committee (SPSC) for Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE), Hon. Wemi Jones, who doubles as  the State Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, recently commended the State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU) for its proactivity and hard work in achieving significant milestones within a short period.

 During a meeting held at his office in Lokoja, he emphasized the importance of teamwork and transparency in achieving success and encouraged the SPIU team to continue with their hard work. 

The state Project Coordinator, Dr. Bello, Abdulhakeem, expressed gratitude to the SPSC Chairman for his ongoing support and reiterated his team's commitment to exceeding expectations and ensuring the success of the AGILE project in the state. 

He stressed that the success recorded by the SPIU so far is solely based on the hard work and sacrifice of his team, adding that they showed passion and dedication all the way.

The PC further promised that his team is more than ready to exceed the expectation of the governor, the SPSC, and the World Bank, noting that the AGILE project in the state will be a success.

The AGILE project aims to provide adolescent girls with education and empowerment opportunities, particularly in the area of secondary school education.

Signed:

Bishop Aturu

Communication Officer

Kogi AGILE Project Committee commends SOCU, seeks partnership

Kogi State Project Coordinator of Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, AGILE, Dr. Abdulhakeem Bello has commended the Kogi State Coordinating and Operation Unit, SOCU, a Defunct of the state Youth Employment and Social Support Operation (YESSO) for a thorough job done with the Single Register.

Dr. Bello gave the commendation during a courtesy visit with his team to the office of the SOCU Coordinator in Lokoja.

The AGILE PC stressed that the Single Register which was done by YESSO has now become a veritable launch pad for effective and result-oriented empowerment programs with a robust database of poor, unemployed, and vulnerable persons in the state.

He introduced AGILE as a Federal Government World Bank-sponsored project geared to improve secondary education opportunities among girls in targeted areas in participating states.

Dr. Bello disclosed that the AGILE project proposes to use a comprehensive approach to address critical binding constraints adolescent girls face that limit their ability to complete secondary school, by using the school, family, and community platforms to empower adolescent girls.

This approach, he said, will consist of interventions aimed at keeping girls in schools and providing opportunities for them to acquire critical life skills thus empowering them to enroll, stay, and complete schooling. 

Part of the ways of empowering adolescent girls through their parents is via the Conditional Cash Transfer which is targeted those in the transiting class of Primary 6 to Jss 1 and Jss 3 to SSS 1. 

Dr. Bello further stressed that all this requires accurate data, carefully and transparently done by agencies with high reputations like that of YESSO - SOCU.

He however seeks partnerships as implementing partners to enable the AGILE project to succeed in the state.

In his response, the State Coordinator of SOCU, Dr. Noah Alilu welcomed the AGILE team to his office while lauding the initiative.

According to him, the reward for their hard work is when they see bodies coming to access their database to reach out to the poor, as poverty he said was real at the grassroots.

He assured that their database which has now become a national reference base will be made available when needed with caution and on how to go about using those information.

Dr. Noah, who extolled the robust nature of the Single Register (SR) built by his office, said the World Bank and the Federal Government are very proud of Kogi SR so much that they have showcased it as a template to a delegation from the Democratic Republic of Congo to understudy the process of building the Register for her social investment program.

Dr. Noah noted that several poor households within the state benefited from the Conditional Cash Transfer program of the previous government of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration as a direct result of their socioeconomic conditions as captured in the Register while adding that several youths across the state benefited from the Public Warfare Component of YESSO and youths enrolled into the Skill for Job Development (S4J) of the project.

Dr. Noah assured AGILE of his office's cooperation and support in ensuring that the objectives of AGILE are achieved in the state.

Signed:

Bishop Aturu

Communication Officer, Kogi AGILE

Kogi Govt inaugurates project steering committee for AGILE initiative

 

The Kogi Commissioner for Education Science and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones (FCIB), has inaugurated the Kogi State Project Steering Committee, (SPSC) for Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment.

In his opening remarks, the Commissioner disclosed that AGILE is a Federal Government World Bank-sponsored project that is expected to use secondary schools as a platform to empower girls through education, life skills, health education, gender-based violence awareness and prevention, and digital literacy skills. 

He disclosed that the World Bank haven seen the success of the project with the initial seven states that kick off the project, they recently approved 11 additional states which Kogi is part of the first six enlisted states to commence. 

He commended Kogi State Governor Alhaji Yahaya Adoza Bello for approving the project and making available all requirements needed to make the project fully operational in the state. 

Hon. Wemi further stressed that if the project is well executed and managed, the state stands a chance of being able to renovate public schools across the various Local Government in Kogi State and train young girls to be digitally sound, self-dependent through skills acquisition, and empowered via Conditional Cash Transfer.

While officially inaugurating the committee, the commissioner admonished all the SPSC members to bring their wealth of experience to bear while ensuring that supervision and all necessary support are given to the State Project Implementing Unit (SPIU). 

He further disclosed that the SPSC will be meeting  quarterly for oversight functions to achieve the Project Development Objective (PDO).

The commissioner further congratulated the State Project Coordinator, Dr. Bello Abdulhakeem, and all other members of the SPIU, urging them to put in all efforts and expertise to ensure that the project succeeds in the state. 

Earlier in her remark, the Executive Chairman, Kogi State Science, Technical Education and Teaching Service Commission (STETSCOM), , Mrs. Cecilia Cook commended Governor Bello for the approval of the project and Hon. Wemi Jones for the proactive measures taken so far in ensuring the success recorded so far.

She expressed her joy towards the benefits that the project will bring especially to the Adolescent Girls across the 21 Local Government Areas, adding that she will be readily available through her office and as a member of the SPSC.

Similarly, the Executive Chairman of State Universal Basic Education Board, (SUBEB), Abdullahi Ndalayi Suleiman stressed that the project calls for sacrifice from both the State Project Steering Committee and the State Project Implementing Unit.

He advised that the project must be driven by the passion and desire to help change the narrative about girl child education, get those out of school back to school, and help create a safe and conducive environment for learning for both the girl and the male child.

Members of the committee into the SPSC are; the Commissioner for Education, Science, and Technology, Hon. Wemi Jones, (Chairman) Director EPRS, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Dr. Ahman Animoku, (Secretary), Permanent Secretaries of, Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Ministry of Finance, Budget and Economic Planning, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, Ministry of Information and Communication, Ministry of Health,  Executive Chairman, STETCOM, and the Executive Chairman, SUBEB.