The federal government has reiterated its commitment to revamping cooperative societies and weeding out fake and corrupt ones who steal and scam innocent citizens.

Agric minister Aliyu Abdullahi stated this at the National Intensive Training workshop for trustees, management committees, and managers of cooperative societies in Nigeria in Kaduna, according to a statement on Friday.

He said the days of fake cooperative societies were gone, adding that measures were being taken to bring sanity to the system.

Mr Abdullahi said the National Council on Cooperative Affairs would soon convene to bring synergy, collaboration, and partnership with the states’ cooperative ecosystem.

He said the reform and revamp would focus on the review and amendments of the Nigeria Cooperative Act to bring it up to date with global best practices and local realities.

Mr Abdullahi said the revitalisation would also focus on developing a regulatory framework to ensure compliance and due diligence in the management of cooperatives.

The minister said the reform would include robust and all-inclusive human capital development, which had already commenced.

He commended the efforts of Ibrahim Auwal, the provost of Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, and Mohammed Gwaram, provost of Federal College of Agricultural Produce Technology, Kano.

Mr Abdullahi acknowledged the efforts of the Federal Cooperative Colleges in Ibadan and Oji-River, Enugu, to plan the same intensive training workshop for the cooperative leaders and managers in the zones.

Ibrahim Auwal, the provost of Federal Cooperative College, Kaduna, said the training marked the beginning of a journey that would equip participants with knowledge.

He said it will also equip them with strategies for advancing cooperatives and strengthening the communities they serve.

Mr Auwal said that the knowledge shared would focus on the core principles of cooperative management and the critical skills needed to navigate the challenges and opportunities of a modern economy. 

(NAN)