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By Amos Odeh, Yenagoa
The lawmaker representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency Hon. Fred Agbedi, has urged Bayelsans to embrace cooperative societies.
Agbedi made the call at an event organized by the Alliance of South South States Cooperatives Financing Agencies of Nigeria (ASSSCOFAN) held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
“This is a very good programme. As a cooperator myself and a legislator who had carried out a lot of cooperative empowerment programmes of the Federal Constituency, and having been invited as chairman of the event, I observe that cooperative is one that both government and individuals need to pay attention to and encourage.
“On the side of government, is more of regulation, if we regulate these societies well, it will generate a lot of money that will help the people across the board, particularly for those who later come to understand the beauty of cooperative and then understanding that you can use it to make out a living for yourself,” Agbedi said.
The National Assembly member called on the South/South zone to take cooperatives seriously, stressing that cooperatives are a good sources of livelihood, given the fact that one can generate income through it.
“Cooperatives are a collaborative business, and you would succeed more when your business is a partnership”, he noted.
President of ASSSCOFAN, HRH Orduve Joel, noted that cooperative is the driving force of most countries’ economy, adding that it should be encouraged in the geopolitical zone and Nigeria in general.
“I make bold to say that I have travelled to 16 countries of the world, not for academics, but for cooperative and I saw that cooperative is the driving force in SMEs loans in reducing poverty and in working closely with the poor masses.
“Cooperative is everywhere, just as our slogan goes. In fact, we are even financially equipped more than the banks. But in the South/South and in Nigeria, the reverse is the case.
“So having gone out, I felt the need to repackage and bring innovation of what I have seen outside. This is to ensure that it’s established here because, if it is done, I bet you, things like youth restiveness will be a thing of the past,” the monarch noted.
Prof. Tatfeng Mirabeau, who spoke on the theme: ‘Repositioning Financial Cooperatives (ASSCOS) for Better Performance in the Post Covid-19 Era,’ however explained that there is need for transparent leadership in the cooperative businesses.
“The leadership features I mentioned should be adhered to for the benefit of the cooperative and the society at large.
“We are all leaders, be it cooperative members or even in our nuclear families, we are leaders and the essentials of leadership cuts across the society. So I believe that if this essentials are strictly adhered to the society will be good and fine for everybody to live in”, he said.
