Victoria Mbangwa
In a bid to restore public confidence in Nigeria’s cooperative sector, the Federal Government has announced a major overhaul aimed at eliminating fraudulent cooperative societies and strengthening regulations to align with global best practices.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Aliyu Abdullahi, made this known at the flag-off ceremony of the National Intensive Training Workshop for trustees, management committees, and managers of cooperative societies in Nigeria, held recently at the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna.
He emphasized that the government is determined to sanitize the sector by introducing stricter oversight, ensuring compliance with due diligence, and amending the Nigerian Cooperative Act to reflect modern realities.
“As we embark on the Renewed Hope Agenda for the cooperative sector, we are serious about overhauling the system through our reform and revamp program.” Abdullahi stated. “We aim to bring innovation by renovating first, revitalizing the sector to restore confidence in the masses and bringing back the glory of the cooperative movement as a force to reckon with in socio-economic development in Nigeria”.
To achieve this, he revealed that the National Council on Cooperative Affairs will soon be convened to foster collaboration between federal and state cooperative institutions.
Additionally, human capital development will be a core component of the reform, starting with intensive training workshops across different regions.
The Minister commended the Federal Cooperative Colleges in Kaduna, Kano, Ibadan, and Oji-River for spearheading training programs aimed at equipping cooperative leaders with modern management skills.
According to Dr. Ibrahim Auwal, Provost of the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, the training will not only reinforce the core principles of cooperative management but also prepare participants for emerging economic challenges.
The event also featured an inspection of the Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, and paper presentations by key stakeholders.
The government’s reform initiative is expected to reposition cooperative societies as viable tools for economic growth while eliminating fraudulent practices that have plagued the sector.
