The Honourable Special Adviser to the Governor on Cooperatives and Rural Development, Alice Ekpenyong, has taken the state government’s cooperative intervention drive to Uyo Local Government Area, where three societies opened up on their agricultural activities and the challenges holding them back.
Ekpenyong, accompanied by officials of the Bureau of Cooperatives and Rural Development, toured Utibeabasi Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MPCS), Monsters of Church of Christ Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MPCS), and Nka Ima IBAN Atan Offot Multipurpose Cooperative Society (MPCS), continuing the statewide cooperative sensitisation tour initiated by Governor Umo Bassey Eno.
The tour is assessing what cooperative societies are actually doing on the ground, where they are falling short and how government support can raise their productivity.
Speaking at the three stops, Ekpenyong said the exercise was designed to separate active, productive cooperatives from dormant ones and to understand the real challenges affecting their operations.
She noted that the Governor’s second-term development agenda places considerable emphasis on agricultural advancement and food sufficiency, adding that cooperative societies have important roles to play in achieving these objectives.
According to her, the government is particularly interested in identifying cooperatives with genuine productive activities and the capacity to contribute to food production, employment generation and rural economic development.
She emphasised that assessing the activities of these societies would enable the government to understand their needs and determine appropriate areas of intervention to strengthen their operations.
A major component of the engagement was sensitisation on the proposed cooperative revalidation exercise and the introduction of the Cooperative Unique Identification Number.
The Special Adviser explained that the revalidation exercise would enable the Bureau to obtain accurate and updated information on cooperative societies operating across the state, while the unique identification number would give each registered cooperative a distinct identity for proper documentation, record management and future government interventions.
She urged all cooperative societies to visit the Bureau of Cooperatives and Rural Development for the forthcoming revalidation exercise, stressing that their participation was important in building a reliable and comprehensive cooperative database.
Ekpenyong also encouraged cooperative members to ensure they possess their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), reminding them of their civic responsibilities ahead of forthcoming elections.
During the visits, the team observed that the three cooperative societies were actively involved in different aspects of agricultural production, demonstrating their potential to contribute to food availability and economic empowerment within Uyo and neighbouring communities.
At Utibeabasi Multipurpose Cooperative Society, members engaged the visiting team on their agricultural activities and the constraints limiting their output, appealing for support to strengthen their existing ventures, improve productivity and expand their capacity.
The team subsequently visited Monsters of Church of Christ Multipurpose Cooperative Society, where members highlighted their involvement in farming and livestock production, calling for government intervention to improve their productive capacity.
At Nka Ima IBAN Atan Offot Multipurpose Cooperative Society, members showcased their agricultural activities, including farming, livestock and fish production, and appealed to the state government for assistance to expand their operations and increase output.
Across the three cooperative societies, inadequate access to productive resources, lack of modern agricultural equipment and improved facilities, as well as limited capacity for expansion, emerged as common concerns requiring government attention.
The engagements provided an opportunity for the Special Adviser and her team to understand the practical challenges facing the societies and assess the level of support required to improve their operations.
The agricultural ventures observed during the tour also highlighted the potential of cooperative societies to contribute to increased food production, employment creation and improved livelihoods. Their involvement in crop cultivation, poultry, piggery and fish farming presents opportunities for strengthening local food supply while expanding economic activities at the grassroots.
The assessment further underscored the importance of targeted government interventions that go beyond financial assistance to include productive infrastructure, modern agricultural equipment, improved farming facilities and other resources that would enable cooperatives to operate sustainably and increase their contributions to the state’s agricultural economy.
