Oyo State Commissioner, Otunba Ojo, Unveils Plan to Reposition Cooperative Societies in a Meeting with Stakeholders

As part of its strategic move geared towards revitalizing Cooperative Societies in Oyo State, the Commissioner for Trade, Investment,Industry and Cooperatives, Otunba Ademola Ojo has unveiled a comprehensive plan to enhance their efficiency and effectiveness.

The Commissioner made the disclosure at a stakeholders meeting organized by the State Assembly held on Monday April 8, at the House of Chiefs, Oyo state House of Assembly, Agodi Secretariat, Ibadan.

In his address, the Ibarapa born Commissioner who disclosed the ministry’s plan towards organizing a summit to launch Oyo state market potentials to local and international investors also told the stakeholders that the strategic initiative was in the Ministry’s bid to enhance economic growth and empower local communities in line with Governor Seyi Makinde’s market development plan across the state.

According to Otunba Ojo otherwise known as ‘Ijaya’, the initiative aims to strengthen the grassroots economy, promote inclusive development, and empower small-scale enterprises with a rapt focus on providing financial support via providing access to grants and loans for traders and artisans, training, and modernizing infrastructure to bolstering socio-economic progress at the grassroots level.

While commending what he described as a robustly symbiotic relationship between the state legislature and government, the Otunba Ojo explained that the stakeholders meeting was strategic to the Ministry’s comprehensive plan considering the crucial role of the state assembly in the comprehensive plan as data capturing of all cooperative societies are already ongoing across the state.

The commissioner outlined key strategies including digitalization, capacity building, and collaboration with stakeholders to ensure Cooperative Societies play expected critical role in the economic development of the state while focusing on harnessing data-driven insights with a vision to promote growth and prosperity within the cooperative sector, as well as contributing to the state’s overall economic landscape in line with Governor Makinde’s sustainable development agenda under Omitutun 2.0.

We’re here to unvel our action plan towards adequate repositioning of the state cooperative societies for effectiveness, efficiency and better productivity.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the event, the Commissioner said: “The House requested for a memoranda as regards this so that they can on their own part come up with an official position for the house to enable them make informed recommendations to the executive, and that’s what we have come to present here today.

“We feel that we need to inform them of what the action plan should be as the ministry in charge of cooperative societies in the state, that’s why the paper I have presented to them today detailed what we have been able to accomplish and what we intend to do in the shortest future.

“The meeting which was organized by the house committee on commerce and cooperatives to gather inputs from stakeholders towards an action plan for government’s interventions, was a fallout of a motion earlier presented by the majority leader, Mr Sanjo Adedoyin towards repositioning cooperative societies.”

Earlier in a welcome address, chairman, House committee on commerce and cooperatives, Rasak Mabaje, expressed confidence that the stakeholders meeting would birth meaningful impact on artisans, traders, farmers in line with the the Governor’s vision to reposition markets across the state.

The Majority Leader of the House, Sanjo Adedoyin, in his remarks urged political office holders and individuals to consider using trade and artisans’ cooperative societies to drive their empowerment programmes.

Some of the stakeholders present at the meeting include the president, Oyo state cooperative federation, Mr. Adegoke Olusegun and Provost, Federal College of Cooperatives, Ibadan, Dr Sunday Oyeleye advocated yearly government intervention funds and grants, strong cooperative financial institution, resuscitation of state’s cooperative college, Ilora and review of by-laws, to protect both borrowers and guarantors.