Use Cooperatives To Curb Terrorism and Banditry in the North-East

The Chairman, North-East Cooperatives Stakeholders Forum, Barrister Abdullahi Jalo, has unfolded plans of using his organisation to lure restive youths into dropping arms to embrace productive ventures.

In an interview with our Correspondent where he underscored the importance of cooperative societies in addressing poverty and youth restiveness, he said, “we’ll use Cooperatives to reach those that are carrying arm to encourage them into farming, rearing, skills acquisition or other productive ventures”.

According to him, in an atmosphere of insecurity where many youths take up arms as a result of poverty, “we are going to carry everybody along, we’ll use Cooperatives to reach those that are taking arms to tell them, this is your own share, come and participate in farming, rearing and skills acquisition”.

Abdullahi said as chairman of the North-East Cooperatives Stakeholders Forum, he has gotten assurance from the Presidency for urgent assistance to communities through cooperative societies.

He said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through his aid has made several statements on the need for Governors to encourage cooperative institutions because societies will be assisted through cooperatives as quick as possible.

“We wrote our memo to the office of the Vice-President through the Minister of Agriculture, Abubakar Kyari, where an enquiry has been made by the Director, Cooperatives to find out how strong the Cooperative societies are performing in the North-East.

“We thank the President for this effort he is making through the Vice-President”, he stated.

Abdullahi Jalo also revealed plans to collaborate with the North-East Development Commission (NEDC) in establishing institutions and programmes that will help in reducing the level of hardship of the people.

He said, “We have plans for programmes that will assist Government in alleviating poverty. For example, what has been allocated for poverty alleviation should be used to reach the downtrodden by encouraging them to cultivate what they have advantage over other areas.

“In Damboa for example, if cultivation of rice is not possible, we go for groundnuts. All these we’ll show and encourage them”, he stressed.

He assured that with cooperatives, the communities will achieve a lot when there is trust between the people and the leaders and Directors of Cooperatives in the six States of the North-East are key in this area.

“The contributions will make the cooperatives to succeed. If you see a programme failing, it is lack of trust, but as it is now, I have investigated in one of the cooperatives in a State, they have more than a billion in their purse but it is stucked unused.

“So we’re out to see how best we can assist the cooperatives. In Gombe alone, we have more than 400 cooperatives, so if their contributions are well harnessed, they’ll have a pool of resources for the development of their communities.

“When NGO’s realise that we’re doing our best, they will key in. So, there are so many efforts that is put in place”, he assured.

He called for more sensitisation of the people since most of the State Governments are interested in activities of their ministries of Cooperatives and skills acquisition.