LASCOMED Cooperative (Society of the year 2019 – Health Sector ) and Oyosowapo Group of Cooperatives (Union of the Year 2019), two of the Most Outstanding Cooperative organisations in Nigeria, are blazing the trail again by being the first set of cooperatives to take a bold step of complementing government efforts in providing palliatives to Nigerians during this Covid19 Lockdown by distributing relief packages (Food Items) to over 10,000 member’s households.
The effort is to complement Federal and State Governments’ Stimulus package for the masses in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun states during this Stay-At-Home Order.
A statement by Mr. Victor Oyegoke, President & CEO of the Cooperative Rating & Award Society of Nigeria (CRASoN) noted: “This is a welcome initiative by these two leading National Cooperative Award Winners in Nigeria and worthy of emulation by others to serve as encouragement to more Cooperative Societies and Unions to reach out and touch lives of their members”.
He also enjoined members of cooperatives to adhere and follow health advice on the COVID-19 Awareness and Enlightenment by ensuring personal hygiene, wearing of face masks, washing hands and disinfecting all surfaces and environment regularly, using of hand sanitisers and maintaining social distancing as the case may be to avoid contracting and or spreading the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Oyegoke further reiterated that “the effect of the total lockdown, especially in Abuja-FCT, Lagos and Ogun States as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, is no doubt seriously affecting the socio-economic needs and aspirations of the people.”
He disclosed that while interacting with the President of LASCOMED Cooperative, Mrs. M. O. Bakare, a few days ago, on the motives behind this great initiative of her Cooperative, she said, “we at our society are proactive leaders with deep human feelings, hence putting into action the cooperative principles and ethical values of caring for others, social responsibility and concern for community comes naturally.”
Mrs. Bakare concluded by “urging other Cooperative Leaders, no matter how small, to embark on such initiatives that can help relieve their members’ predicament at this period and to demonstrate our Motto; “Each for All… All for Each!”
More so, looking at how Nigerians are yearning for Government palliatives on Emergency Food Response with majority of the masses, saying they are hungry as a result of the lockdown.
Mr. Victor Oyegoke advised that “each State Cooperative Federations in Nigeria should make extra efforts to mobilise their primary and secondary societies especially the most economic viable ones to raise funds to buy or make available food items and provisions for donations to members and by extension the communities where they all operate.”
In the same vein, Oyegoke who is also the President of Cooperative Rating & Award Society of Nigeria (CRASON), further noted the giant strides taken by the Oyosowapo Group of Cooperatives in collaboration with Oreoluwapo Ibafo Cooperative Union Ogun State and other affiliated unions/societies who have jointly and individually distributed food items to thousands of its members across Ogun and Lagos States.
According to him, this great initiative was led by the dynamic and philanthropist President of the Unions/Societies and General Manager, Mr. Lateef Ademola Akinola, who said: “This is in support of government effort to ease the pain of “STAY AT HOME ORDER” to curtail the spread of the Corona Virus in Nigeria.”
The General Manager of Oyosowapo Group of Cooperatives and a philanthropist of note has also doled out large sums of cash as giveaway on his social media page to members of the Cooperatives across Nigeria.
We hope many cooperatives leaders and managers would emulate this type of initiatives and keep helping their members in a time as this in the spirit of Cooperative Nexus.
