All cooperative societies in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) that have failed to undergo compulsory recertification will be shut down, Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development Secretariat, Ifeanyichukwu Nzekwe has warned. Nzekwe gave this warning during a valedictory meeting with management staff of the Secretariat in his office. He also said that if they fail to recertify, it further meant that they do not want to be audited because they have skeletons they want to hide.

“Some of the cooperative societies have not been audited in the past 10 years. They don’t even know the cooperative laws, so we had to start the recertification process with the aim of identifying the genuine ones, to bring them up to the tenets and regulations of cooperative societies. The process is to also educate them on the dos and don’ts and ensure that their books are kept audited and proper election are carried out when their tenures expire so that members can have a say in who heads the cooperative societies.

“I am happy to say that the new certificates have been acquired and so, any cooperative society that doesn’t get a recertification certificate will cease to exist as a cooperative society in the FCT. Any cooperative society that fails to do that it means that they do not want to keep by the tenets of the rules and regulations of societies and they have registered themselves by themselves so they are outlaws.”

Listing some major achievements under him, Nzekwe disclosed that apart from increasing the number of departments to seven, from four, his organisation has created access to over 4,000 farmers in the FCT who could henceforth be contacted, using its improved ICT unit.

According to him, the popular Jabi Lake was last year stocked with large number of different species of fishes, adding that the move was necessary because the lake served as a recreation centre and a calming measure for the environment. He also said it has greatly improved veterinary services, graduated many skilled trainees in fishery, crop production and agricultural extension services, provided them with various assistances as well as liquidated huge debts for the Secretariat (The Nation)

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