Academic works is time consuming and costly since ages. Generations to come cannot know what their predecessors know without research into the area. The topic of this work termed “The contribution of cooperative officers to the development of cooperative societies; a case study if Imo State cooperative finance association” A glimpse at the various chapters of this work tend to explain the contributions the cooperative officers have made so far in cooperative societies. This project is divided into five chapters. Firstly, it gives an insight to introduction, background of the study from 10-18; chapter one enhances our purpose of the study. Chapter two deals with literature review, the review of literature has to do with the examination of the study previously done in relation to the project topic.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page - - - - - - - - i

Approval page - - - - - - - - ii

Dedication - - - - - - - - iii

Acknowledgement - - - - - - - iv

Abstract - - - - - - - - - v

Table of contents - - - - - - - vi

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction - - - - - - - 1

1.1 Background of the study- - - - - 1

1.2 Statement of the problems - - - - 2

1.3 Objectives of the study - - - - - 3

1.4 Statement of hypothesis - - - - - 4

1.5 Significance of the study - - - - - 5

1.6 Research question - - - - - - 6

1.7 Scope of the study - - - - - - 7

1.8 Limitation of the study - - - - - 7

1.9 Definition of terms - - - - - - 8

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Literature review - - - - - - 10

2.1 Introduction - - - - - - 10

2.2 Historical background of cooperative organization 10

2.3 Cooperative office - - - - - - 16

2.4 Office organization for cooperative society - 17

2.5 Organization of cooperative department - - 19

2.6 Divisional cooperative officers in Imo State - 20

2.7 Cooperative growth and manpower development - 21

2.8 Officer contribution towards the growth of

cooperative -- - - - - - - 23

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Research methodology - - - - - 24

3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 24

3.2 Research design - - - - - - 25

3.3 Source/methods of data collection- - - 25

3.4 Population of the study and sample size - - 27

3.5 Sampling technique - - - - - 27

3.6 Validity and reliability of measuring instrument 28

3.7 Method of data analysis - - - - - 28

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 Presentation and analysis of data - - - 30

4.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 30

4.2 Presentation of data - - - - - - 30

4.3 Analysis of data - - - - - - 39

4.4 Test of hypothesis - - - - - - 40

4.5 Interpretation of result - - - - - 45

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0 Summary, conclusion and recommendations- 47

5.1 Introduction - - - - - - - 47

5.2 Summary of findings - - - - - 47

5.3 Conclusion - - - - - - - 49

5.4 Recommendation - - - - - - 51

References - - - - - - - 53

Appendix - - - - - - - - 55

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

A cooperative society is a form of business association formed by producers, consumer or financiers. It is formed to provide services for its members who provide nearly all its finance. They are common in agricultural, fishing retail distributions and rural credit and insurance.

In Nigeria today, the condition of cooperative members are recognised through the personnel department with many demands to settle one family problem or the other. Cooperative societies are group of people faced with common needs believing that through cooperative with one another by pooling their resources together to satisfy their need.

Many families are faced with a lot of challenges in meeting to their daily needs and wards. The challenges range from lack of adequate capital to run business, inadequate funds and support to run programmes to sustain their families and daily life requirements. This and more are the reasons why people of common interest and desire, pool their resources together as cooperative societies to raise fund and cooperative that will help them meet their members needs, challenges and wants.

This research is aimed at examining the contribution of cooperative officers towards the development of cooperative societies Imo State.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

In every business organizations and association, there are bound to be challenges, goals procedures of achieving the set goals, and more. The challenges of associations or organization includes management style of leadsership and cooperative, members/workers, attitude towards the growth of the organization, limited resources to meet the set goals of the association and many more.

Cooperative societies are not left out in this challenges and problems. This is because it is an association of different individuals with the same interest. In fighting and pursuing this interest there are bound to be problems and challenges ranging from leadership, capital and other related issues. It is based on this problems and challenges associative face that the study will look at the contributions of cooperative offices towards the development of Cooperative societies using imo state cooperative Finance Association (ISCFA) Owerri as its case study.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this study is to find out the contributions of cooperative officers towards the development of cooperative societies in Owerri Imo State. The specific aim of this project is;

(1) To find out some basic problem facing cooperative societies.

(2) To bring our suggestions that will help to provide a congenial atmosphere for the operation of this cooperative contribution.

(3) To ascertain the benefit derived by members of cooperative societies from the development of cooperatives.

(4) To find out the challenges cooperative officers face in the course of cooperative development in Owerri, Imo state.

(5) To gather the contributions of cooperative officers and its effects on the development of cooperative societies.

1.4 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS

In the course of this study, the following hypothesis will be tested in order to find out the contribution of cooperative officers towards the development of cooperative societies in Owerri Imo state.

(1) Ho: Cooperative (Societies) officers have really not due much towards the development of cooperative societies in Imo State

Hi: Cooperative officers have done much towards the development of cooperative societies in Owerri, Imo State

(2) Ho1: Cooperative officers face a lot of problems and challenges in the course of cooperative societies development.

Hi2:Cooperative officers do not face any problem and challenge in the course of development of cooperative societies.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The importance of this study is as follow:

(1) The study will help cooperative officers to known the importance of their contributions towards the development of cooperative societies in Owerri, Imo State and beyond.

(2) The study will guide cooperative officers to know the problems facing than and how to do better to end such problems.

(3) The study will also help members of cooperative societies to know the benefit in the course of their association.

(4) The study will form a solid base upon which further research on contribution of cooperative movement can be built.

1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

(1) what are the major problem facing cooperative societies in Owerri, Imo State.

(2) How has the contributions of cooperative helped in the development of cooperative societies in Owerri, Imo State?

(3) Have the government been of any help to the society

(4) can your cooperative do better than it is during now in subsequent years?

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The study is basically concerned with the contributions of cooperative officers towards the development of cooperative societies using Imo State cooperative finance association (ISCFA) Owerrri Imo State as its case study. The study did not go beyond (ISFA) Owerri Imo state. Ti critically examined the contribution of officers of (ISCFA) Owerri, Imo State towards the development of the cooperative society.

1.8 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

In the course of carrying out this research the researcher encountered some problems that posed as a challenge towards the successful study of this work. The first problem was unavailability of relevant materials which made it difficult for the researcher to obtain enough information for the research study.

Finance was another limitation encountered by the researcher. There was not enough money for the researcher to transport herself regularly to visit her case study so as to gather more information from them.

The problem of time was another limiting factor. This is because the researcher combined her examination period and other activities going on in the school during the course of the study.

1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Cooperative:According to the international cooperative Alliance(ICA) cooperative is an autonomous

association of person united voluntarily to meet their common economic social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically countrolled enterprise.

Society: This is a system in which people live together in organized form to achieved specific aim.

Cooperative Society/Organization: A cooperative society/organization is an association voluntarily owned and operated by people (owner/member) that have identified their social and economic needs and have fixed common realizable objectives to respond to the needs.

Cooperative organization in order words is a voluntary association of free and independent body.