Lagos State Government has said that a total of 13,477 cooperative societies are currently operating illegally in the state.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Dr. Olajide Bashorun, made this statement on Wednesday at a news conference to commemorate the 2015 International Day of Cooperatives in Ikeja.
Bashorun said “About 2,523 cooperative societies have so far validated their operation. Those who have refused to have their data captured are operating illegally.
“We have acquired software which we use in our offices to capture the data of the cooperative societies. All cooperators can go to these offices and register. The second edition of the Lagos State Cooperative Societies Directory will be presented to the stakeholders as part of this year’s celebration.
“The implication of those not in the directory is that they are operating illegally and will be sanctioned by the government if caught.
“We have over 16,000 cooperative societies in Lagos State with a membership of over two million, but only 2,523 of them have registered with us. The rest are still operating illegally.”