KASU VC Advocates Establishment of Cooperative University
By Alex Uangbaoje, Kaduna
The Vice Chancellor, Kaduna State University, Professor Mohammad Tanko has advocated for the establishment of Cooperative Society University in Nigeria.
He said the University, if established can be the driver of the Nigeria economy as economy of some nations in Africa depends on cooperatives for their survival.
According to Professor Tanko, cooperative societies are the live wire of the economy adding that a university should be establish purposely for training and retraining of experts in that area.
The VC, said this through his representative, Professor Seth Akutson, at the 1st Kaduna Cooperative Societies and Academia Interaction on Tuesday.
He also advised that there should be cooperative classes at technical schools.
The programme was titled “Advancing The Frontiers Of Cooperative Societies In Kaduna State: The Kaduna’s Model” and organized by Partakers Consult, a Kaduna based consulting firm.
According to him, “Co-operatives should be studied in technical schools because we hope to have professors in cooperatives societies.
“Cooperative societies should be giving proper attention because there is no bank that can give commiserate loan than cooperative societies. That is why we will always advocate that cooperative societies come together.
“Government should give impetus through the instrumentality of the court. Cooperative university should be established for degrees, masters and PhD programmes.”
In her remarks, Kaduna State Commissioner of Rural and Community Development, Hajia Balaraba Aliyu-Inuwa said government will always provide enabling environment for private initiative to grow.
“Cooperative societies as a sector has a very important place in this government. It has enormous potential for community and economic development.
“The el-Rufai administration has set in motion a mechanism that will review the operations of cooperative societies in Kaduna state.
“One of the immediate things that is required is to address the structural space for effective running and oversight of cooperative societies. The restructuring exercise resulted in the movement of the cooperatives department from the ministry of Agriculture to the Ministry of Rural and Community Development.” She explained
She disclosed that, “the state governor having considered a report of survey conducted by the department for International Development (DFID) in Kaduna State on cooperative societies approved the recommendation for the creation of the Kaduna State Cooperative Societies Commissioning.
According her, a bill seeking to address major structural issue in the development of cooperative societies in the state is currently receiving attention at the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
