According to a statement by Lagos State Cooperative College
and signed by its Public Affairs Officer, Hassan Jamiu, the government is not
reneging on its drive of having viable and formidable cooperative societies.
The rogrammes were organized in the areas of ‘Essential
Skills in Cooperative Management, Basic Cooperative Management Tools; Corporate
Governance in Cooperatives and Induction Course’.
The training programmes were put together by the Lagos State
Cooperative College, at Agege in Lagos for both newly inducted Cooperative
Societies and the existing ones in order to improve the running of their
societies efficiently for the benefit of members.
Speaking at the commencement of the training programmes, the
Provost of the College, Mr. Akorede Ojomu, said that the purpose of the
workshop was to prepare the newly inducted Cooperatives Societies for the
challenges of running a Cooperative business successfully and to widening
knowledge on Cooperative business activities for the old and new societies.
“The idea of these trainings are to prepare you ahead for
the task of running a successful cooperative society. It is assumed that you
don’t have cooperative management idea before now and that is why before you
are even given a certificate, it is compulsory you pass through this training.”
“When it comes to managing Cooperatives Societies, there are
somethings that are unique to Cooperatives management that are not found in the
running of other businesses. It is those differences that we are trying to fill
with these trainings.
“For instance, Cooperative is democratic in all ramification
which may not be so in other business Clime. Moreso, profit maximization is not
the sole aim of cooperators because the owners are also the customers. So you
don’t make profit from yourself rather what we make in cooperative is called
surplus. When managing a Cooperative, these are somethings you have to put into
consideration,” he added.
In the next few days, he concluded that participants would
be exposed to auditing, accounting and research methodology amongst others.
Relaying their experiences from the training programme; Mr.
Sahed Ademuren a participant from Al’usra Cooperative Society, University of
Lagos, said,”the training has been well expository and satisfactory. We have
been able to get very well acquainted with the policies of running an efficient
cooperative society.”
Mrs. Anu oluwatoyin from Senior Staff University of Lagos
Cooperative Society said, ‘the programme has been really enlightened. There are
somethings we do that we don’t know they are wrong but coming here has exposed
them.
“There are some points the lecturers on accounting and
auditing mentioned that we need to work on in our society. The lectures have
made things simple, so when we go back there, we know how to tackle things
better. On business modelling, the lecturer taught us how we should relate with
the cooperators.
“As leaders you don’t see yourself as overall boss, let the
benefit of people be paramount. They also mentioned seven principles about
Cooperative Movement and everything centered on the welfare of the cooperators
first before the leaders.”
Miss Bunmi Oso from Friesland Foods Wamco Staff Multipurpose
Cooperative Society: “It has been an interactive session, the facilitators are
seasoned. It has been a great eye opener and a learning exercise and very
eventful.”
Mr. Bako Secretary, Maritime Division Staff, Apapa
Cooperative Staff limited: “I wish the college would do more of this and extend
it, so we can bring our staff here for more training in accounting &
computer as we don’t have competent hands in these areas. I have learnt that we
don’t use members contributions for long term investment because there must
always be fund to finance their loan requests, that you should serve the people
and not yourself and not to be involved in fraud and illegality.
“If you want to go into business ventures, you shouldn’t
decide yourself, you must have to form a committee from members to manage the
business and infact, all investments or projects of capital nature should be
decided by members, they are the ones to tell you what to do.”
The Lagos State Cooperative College is the tertiary
institution arm of Lagos State Government with the mandate of providing sound
Cooperative Education, high skill manpower for Cooperative Movement, Economic
Empowerment and the acquisition of appropriate entrepreneurial skills.
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