PROBLEM AND PROSPECTS OF CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN EDO STATE (A CASE STUDY OF FARMERS CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETY AKOKO-EDO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EDO STATE)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1      BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Co-operation as a form of individual and societal behavior is Intrinsic to human organization, but the history of modern co-operative societies forms of business organization, dates back to the Agricultural and revolution Industrial of the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

In 1761 The Fenwick Weaver’ Society was formed in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, and Scotland to sell discounted oatmeal to local workers. Its services expended to include assistance with savings and loans, emigration and education. In 1810, welsh social reformer Robert Owen, form Newtown. in mid- Wales, and his partners purchased new Lanark mill from Owens’s father-in-law and preceded to introduce better labour standards including discounted retail hops where profits were passed on to his employees, Omen left New Lanark to pursue other forms of co-operative organization and develop co-operative ideas through writing and lecture. Cooperative was set up in Glasgow, Indiana and Hampshire, although ultimately unsuccessful. In 1828 William king set up a newspaper, “the cooperator”, to promote Owens’s thinking, having already set up a co-operative store in Brighton.

The Rochdale society of equitable pioneers, founded in 1844, is usually considered the first successful co-operative enterprise, used as a model for modern co-operative societies. A group of 28 weavers and other artisans in Rockdale, England set up the society to open their own store selling food items they could not otherwise afford. Within ten years there were over 1,000 co-operative societies in the United Kingdom. (Chambers Encyclopedia vol.4)

Other events such as the founding of a friendly society by the Tolpuddle martyrs in 1832 were key occasion in the creation of organized labour and consumer movements. From the report of the workshop held on 10^th - 11^th November 2008 during the 8 the ICA Africa regional assembly at the international conference centre, Abuja.

1.2      STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

The research problems are:

i.      Knowing if any’ competent person can become a member of a cooperative society, at anytime.

ii.     Determining if the government encourages and supports the formation of co-operative societies by providing Subsidies and exemptions.

iii.    Knowing if the liability of the member is unlimited.

iv.    Knowing if the society can exist for long Separate from its member limited?

v.     Knowing how the society is managed.

1.3   OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

It would have been a total waste of time, effort,
energy and of course founds. In conducting this
research if it was not meant to achieve any meaningful objectives. The research would also have been seen as a fruitless exercise if there were no fundamental objectives to be achieved at the end or the study. The major objective of the study therefore was analyzing the problems and prospects of cooperative society in Edo State but the subsidiary objectives are:

·                    Determine if the government encourage cooperative societies

·                    To know if cooperative society creates jobs.

·                    To know if the liability of member is unlimited.

·                    To know if cooperatives societies emphasize the welfare of members.

1.4   RESEARCH QUESTIONS

i.      Is the liability of a member of the cooperative society limited?

ii.     Does the government encourage the formation of Cooperative societies?

iii.    Is the society managed by only one person?

1.5   STATEMENT OF THE HYPOTHESES

Osuola 1986 said hypothesis should always be in declarative sentence form, and they should relate to them generally or specially variable to variables.

Hypothesis 1 and 2 thus explain observed event in a
systematic manner, predict the outcome of events and relationships systematically summarized existing knowledge.

In essence, there exist Null Hypotheses set up only to nullify the Alternative Hypothesis. The hypotheses were as follows.

Hypothesis One

H_O:   The liability of a member is not unlimited.

H_I:    The liability of a member is limited.

Hypothesis Two

H_O:   The society is not managed by only one person.

H_I:    The society is managed by only one person.

1.6      SCOPE OF THE STUDY

In the project, the researcher unveils the problems and prospects of cooperatives in Nigeria.
The scope of the study is limited to Edo state as the case study was “Farmers Cooperative Society, Akoko Edo, Edo State.”

The, researcher reveals the prospects of cooperative societies in Nigeria.

The Executive Secretary of cooperative Federation of Nigeria, in his introduction of the movement in
Nigeria, said the CFN was formed in 1945 and got registered in 1967. He traced the background of
cooperative societies in Nigeria to the traditional saving and loans system. He added that following agitation by the Agege Cocoa planters Union in 1907, the study for establishment of formal co-operation was commissioned in 1934. This was following by the enactment of co-operative legislation in 1935. The early move was in agriculture, and latter shifted to marketing following the shift in the Nigeria economy from agriculture to crude oil. He gave the scope of co-operative activities in Nigeria covering. On population, he said there are about 50 million family member covering 20 million house holds. Total number of registered co-operative societies is about 50,000.

1.7      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will provide data on cooperative movement in Nigeria that will be useful to:

i.            Fairness corporative society Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State

ii.          Federal ministry of labour and productivity

iii.        National union of local government employees.

iv.         State civil service commission

v.           Managers and top executives in organized private sector

vi.         Federal civil service commission

vii.       United nation commission on employment

viii.     Central bank of Nigeria

ix.         Federal ministry of finance

x.           Students carrying out a research work in this same issue.

1.8   LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

A research work of this nature cannot come to an end without limitation. The researcher encountered numerous problem which affected the smooth running of the work these include material procurement. There were a lot of constraints as to getting information and material for the job. The researcher made series of consultation to acquire the needed information. Most materials used were very difficult to get.

Time constraints: Combining academic work With research is on doubt a thought provoking issue, as it has to do with time. Actually, a lot of time was exhausted to obtain valuable information for the project.

1.9   OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS

Problem: The 6^th Edition of the oxford Advance learner’s dictionary (2000) defined a problem as a thing that is difficult to deal with or to understand.

Prospect: This is defined according to the above source as the possibility that something will happen. It can also be seen as an idea of what might or will happen in the future. Prospect is the chances of being successful

Cooperative: In the 1993 edition of chambers dictionary, cooperative is defined as “an organization in which there ‘is collective ownership or control of the means of production and distribution”.

The relationship governing member is dual in nature, equality in social relations and equity in economic relations.

Cooperative can also be viewed from the legal stance. Helms (1968) defined cooperative as a registered voluntary association of persons with a common interest formed and operated along democratic principles for the purpose of economic and social interest at least cost to its members who contributed the capital and manage the business so established by delegating some powers to elected management”.

Society: These are group of people who share common ideas, norms, values and culture together towards achieving a set objective.