Niger State Governor Tasked to Pay Attention to Cooperative Societies in the State

…as Cooperatives have contributed to the growth and development of Niger state economy

Niger State Governor Rt. Hon. Umaru Mohammed Bago has been called upon to pay adequate attention to Cooperative Societies to ensure the development of the state.

The president of Niger State Cooperative Federation (NISCOFED) and 1st Vice President of the Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, Comrade Labaran Garba, made the call during a stakeholder’s meeting in commemoration of the 2023 International Cooperative Day Celebrations in the state that was attended by Presidents and Secretaries of various cooperative societies, unions, and apexes as well as the Director of Cooperatives and representative of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Commerce, Investment, and Cooperative Niger state held at the Conference Hall of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Secretariat Minna, on 19th July 2023

Comrade Garba said the appeal became imperative as he described cooperative as a veritable tool that complements government efforts in poverty reduction, driving sustainable programmes of government which are recognized by the United Nations as a resilient business model.
The president of the state cooperative disclosed further that the need for government to give adequate attention to the cooperative sector was equally necessary as cooperatives contribute towards achieving sustainable development in any given society, adding that the formation of various cooperative societies was to support the people and the communities for them to achieve their goals and objectives.

Comrade Garba said that cooperatives have contributed to the growth and development of Niger state economy over the years by providing members in micro, small, and medium enterprise with loans at affordable interest rates to develop their business investments, thereby creating more jobs and wealth.

According to him, many cooperatives across the state were involved in agriculture and manufacturing of agro-allied products, while many cooperators in Niger state as well as various cooperatives have huge investments in land, education, housing, and health facilities worth millions of naira and urged the cooperators to continue to show more commitment to the ideals of cooperative principles and values and drive to promote the growth of the cooperative movement in all sectors of the economy.

The president who spoke on the essence of the stakeholders meeting, however, said that it was aimed at assembling the stakeholders to brainstorm to strengthen the cooperatives, discussed how to address the challenges, and chat a way forward, adding that it was also aimed at marking the 101st-day celebration set aside by International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) and United Nations by every first Saturday of July every year to increase awareness on the activities of the cooperative movement, by highlighting the credible impacts of cooperatives societies.

Speaking at the occasion, the Director of Cooperative, Ministry of Investment, Commerce, and Cooperatives, Musa Mohammed Erena, and a representative of the permanent secretary appreciated the organizers of the program and called for robust synergy between the management of various cooperatives in the state and the ministry for them to succeed,

The Theme for this year’s International Cooperative Day was “Cooperatives for Sustainable Development.”