The Ogun State Governor Prince (Dr.) Dapo Abiodun has been urged to stay off workers’ cooperative deductions and create enabling environment for cooperative societies to thrive in order to have a smooth and successful tenure.
The President, Ogun State Co-operatives Federation (OGSCOFED), Alhaji (Dr.) AbdulRazaak Ola-Balogun gave this advice while speaking with journalists in his Office at Asero in Abeokuta.
Ola-Balogun said that the none payment of deductions and other emolument to government workers by the last administration led by Senator Ibikunle Amosun was a major determinant in the outcome of the last Governorship election, saying Dapo Abiodun should learn from Amosun mistakes.
He said for Abiodun to have a smooth and successful tenure, issues on Cooperatives deductions, pensions, leave bonus and promotion of workers should be taking serious, adding that failure to do so would have a huge negative impact on his government, members of co-operative societies as well as affect the State economy.
“Our request is that since the outgoing governor has settled part of the deductions his administration owed, the new Governor should not withhold the deductions of any of our members. We want to passionately implore him not to tamper with the co-operative deductions of State workers. We want to request that Governor Dapo Abiodun pays the deduction alongside the salary of the workers. The management board of all the societies have got plans on how they are going to use it to cushion the welfare of their members, failure of government to remit the Cooperative deductions would lead to failure in the actualization of the objectives of members and the societies at large”. he said.
Alhaji Ola-Balogun urged the present administration to give adequate recognition to OGSCOFED and uphold the autonomy of the body by intervening where necessary,saying that government should synergies with the co-operative body in the State for further implementation of grass root programmes that would boost small and medium scale businesses.
He added that Cooperative Soceity was the only dependable avenue for workers to meet up with their economic challenges, aspiration and goals, saying that apart from being close to the grass root OGSCOFED has also proven to be accountable through the payment of revolving loans granted it by the government over the years for the development of Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSMEs) across the State.
While urging Cooperative executives against sits tight syndrome, the OGSCOFED President assured that the federation under his leadership had been working at ensuring that best accounting and co-operative principles were adhered to by co-operative societies in the State, revealing that plans are underway for the body to invest in various profitable ventures and infrastructural development which would boost the sector before the expiration of his tenure in 2021.
