THE ROLE OF COOPERATIVE IN POVERTY ALLEVIATION: A CASE STUDY OF SELECTED COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN KADUNA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

ABSTRACT

The only way people can maximize benefit of limited resources to their reach is by self-reliance. Therefore there is need for people to use co-operative societies to achieve these. The project seeks to identify how cooperative societies can be used as means to alleviate poverty in Kaduna South LGA. Four cooperative societies and their members were used to buttress the point. Poverty is on the rampage, thus the need to stamp or alleviate is a welcome development. Primary and secondary data were used in collecting data. In the findings, the cooperative societies have alleviated poverty in Kaduna South Local Government Area by measures of their activities in and around the territories. It also noted that they encountered some difficulties in carrying out their activities, among which is poor management. Recommendation were made in respect of the problems they are facing and avenue they can improve the lives of persons in Kaduna South LGA. It is particularly recommended that persons in positions of authority should be people with impeccable character and hardworking. Cooperative societies need and since funds from external sources are difficult to obtain members should be encouraged to make special savings so as to enable the societies mobilize more funds from internal sources Also persons who join cooperative societies in must be prepared to do work with others to achieve the societies set objectives and must also be prepared to display transparent honesty when dealing with fellow cooperative and societies.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0   BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

In Nigeria today, poverty has become a major problem facing the country. The question has been asked, how can this problem of poverty, which is effecting our economy be alleviated. Several government bodies have been set up to find solution to that. However, it is important to find out what poverty is all about and the meaning of cooperative by different scholars, and merge the two together for us to have a clearer of the purpose of this study.

According to Oxford dictionary, poverty is a state of being poor. It is inability of a household to generate adequate income for the maintenance of the house members. That is to say, it can be defined from the point of view of income, and that is the general intake by which poverty can be evaluated. A Poor person means a person who is unable to find a job, obtain adequate income, unable to own property, and maintain a good healthy condition. This is the sign of poverty we are talking about.

On the other hand, cooperative is a phenomenon that denotes any form of working together voluntarily by persons or individuals to achieve common goals. To narrow it down cooperative refers to the activities of an association of persons with similar social, cultural and economic needs who willingly come together to satisfy these need in solidarity. In other words cooperative was born as a result of reaction against capitalism, competition and injustices that associated with them. Cooperatives is a purely service oriented to their members rather than profit oriented.

The cooperative members integrated their resources, for the satisfaction of their members identified need. Beside, a tree cannot make a forest; people from different places can come together and pool their resources together to satisfy their expectation. However, based on these, cooperative is the best way of tackling the perennial economic problem of a developing country like Nigeria where a greater percentage of people live below poverty level. This is