The Lagos State Government says about 13,477 cooperative societies are currently operating illegally in the state.

The government explained that out of about 16,000 societies in the state, only 2,523 cooperatives had been captured in the ongoing revalidation exercise, which was aimed at producing a directory of the societies.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Dr. Olajide Bashorun, said this on Wednesday at a news conference to commemorate the 2015 International Day of Cooperatives in Ikeja.

He 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.”

On the 2015 International Day of Cooperative, Bashorun said the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives in collaboration with the Lagos State Cooperative Federation, the umbrella body for all cooperative societies in the state, would celebrate the week-long event between July 1 and 5, 2015, to increase awareness of cooperative societies and promote economic efficiency, equality and world peace.

He said the celebration would provide opportunity to showcase the achievements of cooperative societies in the state and motivate other societies to attain greater height.

(Punch newspaper)