The Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment (AGILE) project in Kogi State has continued the distribution of N40,000 Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) grants to schoolgirls, following the earlier flagoff of the scheme.

The initiative is aimed at enhancing school enrollment, retention, and transition for adolescent girls, thereby strengthening their contribution to the state’s social and economic development. At the exercise held yesterday at GYB Model Science Secondary School (GYBMSSS), Lokoja, the AGILE team issued preloaded ATM cards to parents and guardians of beneficiaries.

Speaking at the event, the Kogi State Project Coordinator, Mr. Ahmed Oricha, commended Governor Ahmed Ododo for keeping to his promise of ensuring that ATM cards are distributed across the state to all beneficiaries. He stressed that the disbursement was not a oneoff, but a follow-up activity towards the Governor’s pledge that the AGILE-CCT initiative will be sustained as a continuous intervention under the AGILE project.

He emphasized that the project would provide a cash grant of N40,000 each to 13,359 adolescent girls in transition classes across the state, with the goal of dismantling financial and sociocultural barriers preventing girls from attending school. Oricha further urged schoolgirls to maintain regular school attendance, while calling on parents to ensure the funds are used strictly for their children’s education.

The Lead Consultant, Mr. Richard Alabi, reiterated that the account linked to the ATM card is a dedicated wallet for AGILE fund disbursement and must not be diverted for other uses. He emphasized that beneficiaries must sustain at least 70 per cent school attendance to continue enjoying the scheme, while also cautioning parents against paying any form of processing fees, as the government has fully covered the costs.