CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
Generally, cooperative data traced back to
nineteenth century has spread to the whole world including Nigeria. The main
objective of the movement is to improve or meet the common need by mutual
assistance and improving both the social and economic of the masses of the
countries of the nation through increased production and mutual understanding.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In all the countries of the world toady both
developed and developing countries the efforts of the government is geared
towards the socio- economic development of the masses. The common task which
the government and the citizens is on how the communities development is to be
achieved.
In pursuing this goal, one of the tools used is
the formation of the co-operative societies. The cooperative societies can be
seen from perspective be seen from many directions. But in words of Beko
(1989:5) defined cooperative as an association of persons, with variable
membership and variable capital who have pooled themselves and their resources
together on mutual or self help basks to form a business enterprises which
seeks to solve the socio- economic problems of there members by directly
providing goods and services to them in their capacity as either owner/
customer or owner/ employee of the cooperative. We will observe certain
important points. One is that membership of the society is voluntary and the
perspective members must be free unlike the factory system which is known as
the capitalist system brought along with it many evils both from green land
vans on the factory workers and the society as a whole. The working class
suffered many hardship both from green land various factors owners and from
traders and also the middlemen.
The hardship suffered by the factory worker
industry were very low wages long hours work, industry living and working
conditions high price of goods, adulteration of goods and short weight and
measures. As a result of all the problems directed on the working class the
only option left for them was to form an association that would cater for their
common problems. This resulted in formation of cooperative societies.
In Nigeria the history of cooperative movement
dates to the 1930s the main aim of the colonial masters them was to organize
farm land where farmers would cultivate on and produce cash crops like plan
cocoa, and rubber. These farm land were cater organized into registered group after
acquiring the required legislation. The purpose of increasing production.
Processing and marketing of their product which at that time was major foreign
exchange for the government.
A later, cooperative thrift and credit society
was introduced in the other part of the country. Since then the cooperative
movement has witnessed tremendous growth. It is now more apartment than ever
before that cooperative are not social units that exists at the mercy of the
government but actually are forms of business which aimed at being liable
economic units. Indeed cooperative societies have become well known as an instrument
of community development. In our rural communities, there are different types
of cooperative societies that exist depending on the needs of the members and
the bye- low that guide such societies some of these societies are:
(1) FARMERS COOPERATIVE SOCIETY: This form
of cooperative involves the cultivation land by rural farmers and farming is
together as price.
(2) MARKETING COOPERATIVE SOCIETY: Rural
farmers whose need is to market their produce usually form this kind of
cooperative. Marketing cooperative undertakes the assembly processing grading
storage and selling of form produce of all types.
(3) CONSUMER COOPERATIVE: This involves
the establishment of consumer sops where of the basic essential needs of the
members are sold on the them at a relatively cheap price.
(4) COOPERATIVE THRIFT AND CREDIT SOCIETY:
This type of cooperative society engage in the mobilization of funds from the
rural people and disserving to the need members to enable them carry out their
agricultural activities.
(5) MULTIPURPOSE COOPERATIVE SOCIETY: As
the name goes, it is a society that is empowered by bye- laws to lenders
multiple service to its members.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
In recent times and other interested organization
have made various source of rural area because they see such organization as
one of the major paths to the socio- economics. Development plan of 08075 the
sum total of 184.22 million was earmarked for the running of all the enormous
funds being spent on cooperatives whom are supposed to use the finds for the
socio- economic up liftmen of their members. A list of problems still exist and
it is the purpose of this research work to identify and find solution to then
such problems are:-
(a) Lack of cooperative among the rural people
(b) Problems of literacy as most of the rural
people are for development
(c) The land tenure system here the rural people
prefer to cultivate on their lands than donate them for development activities
(d) Fraud lent activities of the official of the
cooperative activities bestowed with the power of implementing development
activities in these rural areas
(e) Because of these facts that cooperative here
are government organized they have little fund to embark on project. This is
due to the delay in release of funds when they contribute on their own they
raise very small amount of money.
(f) Lack of infrastructure like god roads,
electricity, pipe borne water hospital and schools to allow easy accessibility
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
In working at the Nigeria rural scene that is not
ruled by project and programme for rural development. The cattle of such
organization project and programme are majority centered at the urban area
which the rural are as not enjoying maximum privilege. They are deprived the
benefit of such arrangement then cooperative societies have been introduced to
aid privilege as the urban area. So, the major aim of these research work is to
(a) Determine the role the cooperative societies
have played in promoting economic activities in the rural areas
(b) Finding out whether these projects are
adequate and what they have contributed so for to development of these areas
(c) Finding out avenue of economic activities
available to rural area, but not presently utilized by them
(d) Finding out whether these projects are of
improvement
(e) Investigating the cooperative assistance and
assessing the adequacy and effectiveness in chancing proper economic
development in mutual area. This will allow us to know the project they have implemented or completed.
(f) Examining the various difficulties
encountered by cooperative societies in raising sufficient finds for their
business activities
(g) To suggest solution to problem these
developments have in assisting rural areas in these developments.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTION
(1) Do cooperative provide functions, education
and employment opportunities to members and citizens of Orji- river local
government area?
(2) Have people made or cooperative made any
contribution to the in frastructure and agricultural development of Orji- river
local government Areas?
(3) Do cooperative contribute of the economic
development of Orji- river local government Area Anambra state?
1.5 SIGINFICANCE OF THE STUDY
This research work is aimed at highlighting the
significance of cooperative societies in the socio- economic development of
Orji- rive local government Area Anambra state. And also, the study will help
to eliminate doubts as to whether or not
cooperative are of any significance in rural development of Orji- river local
government area. The study will also help find solution to some problems
associated with cooperative in particular and rural development on general. It
will help the rural come to understand
more importance of farming women’s cooperative activities like family support
programme in their rural area.
Furthermore, It’s significance would be noticed
on the socio- economic amenities
provided for the up- keeping of the rural area where these cooperative
may include construction of goods to the community development planers and
expose them to the area that need urgent attention. Finally, the study of this
will be meaningful to other scholars who will carryout further research in
these fields. It could also be useful to the following.
(a) Cooperators
(b) Cooperators
(c) Cooperative societies
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The scope of this study is that it should taken
care of economic development in Orji- river local government. Due to limited
resources and time available for this work, the time given for the study was
too short. A research of this nature require a concentration of time and effort
of enable the research came up with an exhaustive result.
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This work has some major constraint to the
research work is the unwillingness of the cooperative staff in local government
area to release certain documents which contain vital information for the work.
Due to finance and time constraint, the research limited his literature review
to that which is obtainable from libraries in Anambra and Enugu state.
1.8 DEFINITION OF THE TERMS
For more classification and early understanding
some of the terms used for the researcher are defined below: cooperative
society. This is defined as collection of persons who have voluntarily found
together their resources and having as its primary objectives the promotion of
the socio- economic needs of the members through self help efforts members in
line with agreed cooperative principles democratically married such an
association.
MOVEMENT
According to the long man dictionary of
contemporary English, movement is a group of people who share the same ideas of
belief and work together to achieve a particular aim.
POPULATION
For the purpose of this study it is the selected
group of people that will represent the entire population. Such population
sample usually has most of the characteristics of the entire population.
BYE LAWS
These are the laws by the members of a particular
cooperative society. But such bye- law of the society would be regulation
government the activities of the cooperative in the area.
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