RIVERS ACCUSES COOPERATIVE  GROUPS OVER ILLEGAL ACTS

The Rivers State Government has accused some cooperative societies and unions registered in the state of engaging in acts that are against the laws guiding their operations. Director of Cooperatives in the State Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Ima Otu, said on Saturday in Port Harcourt that most of the cooperative societies deceive people to register with them without following due process. Otu spoke at the 20th United Nations International Day of Cooperatives, organised by the Rivers Cooperative Federation. She said, “Some cooperative societies don’t run as they claim. They deceive people to register with them. Most of the cooperative societies go about their businesses anyhow they like without following the rules and laws guiding cooperative societies in the state.” Otu pointed out that cooperative societies all over the world were providing millions of jobs in areas, such as agriculture, housing, health, small and medium scale industrialization. Earlier, the President of the Rivers Cooperative Federation, Mike Chinwo, lamented that that cooperatives societies were functioning properly in the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones. Chinwo attributed the situation to the belief by some people that cooperative societies were only established to get government loans. “Cooperatives are functioning well in the South-West geo-political zone of this country, but they seem not to function well in South-South and South-East parts of the country. “It is so because our people believe that setting up cooperative societies and unions is an opportunity to grab government loans. Our people believe that loans from cooperative societies and unions are like gifts from Father Christmas. “Before coming to join the cooperative, our people will ask you what they will benefit from the cooperative societies,” Chinwo observed.