News Investigators/ Kogi Government has commenced plans to digitise the registration and records of cooperative societies in the state as part of efforts to improve transparency, accountability and access to formal financing.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Sualihat Amana, disclosed this at the 2026 Training Workshop for registered cooperative societies on Friday in Lokoja.
The workshop, organised by the Directorate of Cooperatives, was held under the theme: “Towards Strengthening Cooperatives for Sustainable Development in Kogi State.”
Ms Amana said all existing cooperative societies would be required to undergo mandatory data revalidation, after which verified societies would receive automated digital certificates to replace manual certification.
She urged cooperative leaders to participate in the exercise when it commenced, warning that genuine societies risked exclusion from the new system if they failed to update their records.
The permanent secretary described cooperatives as important vehicles for grassroots economic empowerment, providing members with access to credit, collective purchasing power, organised marketing and disciplined savings.
She said the digital reform was in line with the Federal Government’s Cooperative Reform and Revamp Programme and would strengthen documentation, identity verification and the sector’s connection to formal finance and investment.
The Director of Cooperatives, Tenimu Momoh, said the national digital transformation programme would provide every registered cooperative society with a Cooperative Verification Number (CVN), while individual members would receive Cooperative Identification Numbers (Coop IDs).
Mr Momoh also highlighted the statutory responsibilities of cooperative committees, including maintaining accurate financial records, submitting annual reports for audit and ensuring that loans obtained by members were used for approved purposes.
Speaking on challenges facing cooperatives, Ibikunle Medubi, a resource person, identified poor governance, weak financial discipline, indiscriminate loan approvals, loan defaults and financial opacity among executive committees as major threats to the sustainability of societies.
Mr Medubi urged cooperative societies to elect leaders of proven integrity, comply with their bye-laws, properly screen members and impose appropriate sanctions on loan defaulters.
The workshop also emphasised the need for cooperatives to move beyond monthly contributions to activities capable of generating measurable economic impact through sound governance, digital records and productive investments.
NAN