COOPERATIVE AS AGENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (2008-2012)
A CASE STUDY OF ABAKPA NIKE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CHAPTER ONE
1.0    INTRODUCTION
          In most developing countries, cooperative societies constitute the most important aspects of rural development. It was proposed as a result of the evils of the industrial revolution as of (1750 – 1850. It was when the factory owners (the capitalists) exploited workers bitterly in order to maximize profit. During that period    unemployment was rife and were extremely low. There was child labour, shop keepers on their own part sold adulterated goods. The worker lived in crowded shanties in unsanitary conditions. The worked for more than twelve hours in ill ventilated factory buildings
That looked like a prison yard
These anti-social effect of the life industrial revolutions resulted in wide spread of poverty and sufferings while others died of malnutrition, disease and starvation. Life was so hard that the decade became known as “hungry forties” it was because of all these problems that great men (workers) started fighting for social reform they retailed with violence and strikes they condemned the evils of capitalist.
        It was then that the apostles of Robert owen (the Owenties) Dr Willian king, JohnLyod Charles Hawarth, Willaim owenite. Willaim pare looked for the better way to solve their problems and later proposed the word co-operatives as a solution to wipe out those evils. The gospel spread all over the countries of the world throughout cooperatives movement.
        When they have succeed in 1750 through the help of Rochadale pioneers of 1844, they carried on the gospel o cooperative. The rochdale pioneers include.
-      Charles fourier
-      Charles Donwin
-      Louise Blank
-      Phillipe scotta
-      Philipe Buchez
1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY      
        Cooperatives societies have spread all over the countries of Africa, more especially in Nigeria it was because of its vital roles towards the development of rural areas that led to its proposal after the F.C strick land report.
        Cooperative society help to reduce the sufficient of less privileged ones living in the problem of poverty, unemployment and poor standard of living among rural dwellers need a self help organization were they will pool their little resources together to help themselves this will stop total dependence in government assistance by means of forming a cooperative society that is collective action they will be able to solve their individual problems.
        Cooperative is an association of people who comes together to solve their problems through mutual action. It raises its head in metropolis as well as in cosmetropolitan environment. It was the uniqueness of cooperative and its flexibility permits it to be practiced among farmers, fishersmen, artisans and woman.
        Cooperative societies do not discriminate either in sex, religion or race, it is for all both producers and consumers, men and women the rich and the poor the educated and the illiterates engaged in cooperatives activities.
        Cooperatives societies has reached to various local government areas and was headed by divisional cooperative officers to promote cooperative in the area of the research was carried on to find out the development of Enugu east (NIKE) Local government area.
1.2    STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The research is
        Cooperative as agent of rural development. The development of rural areas cannot be achieved as was expected by rural dwellers. This is because people were much dependent in government to provide all their needs which they cannot be able to solve completely because of voluminous works and other needs they have to attain. Hence government encourages people to form organization in which they should come together to solve their problems.
        Cooperatives society is are of the major organization were people mostly in rural areas emerged together to achieve their set objectives the problem is to access how important cooperative societies it to the rural development.
1.3    OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
          This research has the major objective of finding out the importance of cooperative society to rural development in Abakpa Nike (Enugu East) local government area.
Specific objectives include:
-      Identify the help of cooperative society in motivation of rural people to form or join a cooperative society.
-      To know how they have in the provision of infrastructure facilities.
-      To access their help so far in education the rural people.
-      To know how they have in providing the farmers with storage facilities.
-      To know whether they organized any market for the farmers.
-      To know how they have helped to solve unemployment problems in Abakpa Nike local government area.
-      To know how they have helped them to raise their income.
-      To know also how they have helped the farmers to receive government assistance.
1.4    SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
        There is the need for the development of rural areas through cooperative societies. This study will show the importance of cooperative societies to the rural development in Nike local government area as a basis for offering uniformed suggestions for improvement in the rural development.
        It is believed that the findings, suggestions and recommendations of this study will be benefits to increase the importance of cooperative societies to rural development.              
Specifically this study will go a long way to developing rural areas this also my result to the improved in the development of people as well as increasing their standard of living.
        The individual people would be well educated which will encourage in the establishment of cooperative business enterprise to enhance development. The provision of basic infrastructure facilities will be a affordable and both cooperative societies and government would be involved in financing agriculture activities.
        The availability of processing industries and storage facilities would be provided which will reduce the wastage of goods.
        Finally, the outcome of this study will be very useful to the development of Nike local government entirely.     
1.5    RESEARCH QUESTION
-  How far have cooperative societies helped in the provision of infrastructure facilities in Nike?
-       Do cooperative society help in education of the rural dwellers?
-       Do cooperatives help in eliminating the middlemen and the extortioners?
-       Do cooperative society  organizes market for them?
-       Whether cooperative society solve unemployment problem in the area?
-       Do cooperative society helps them to receive government grants and subsidy?
-       Do cooperative provide storage facilities for them?
-       Do cooperative society encourage them to join cooperative societies
-       Do cooperative help them to raise their income
-       Whether cooperative societies increase their standard of living?
-       Do cooperative help them in provision of transport facilities.
1.6    SCOPE OF THE STUDY
          The scope of this study is focused on cooperatives as agent of rural development in Nike local government area. It means that this research could not be carried out in all the rural areas in Nigeria, the study is limited based on the fact that there is no time and material resources see to the whole nation.
        The findings may not be valid to the whole cooperatives societies and rural development but believed that what happened to Nike may be applied in other rural areas.
1.8    DEFINITION OF TERMS
COOPERATIVE:         it means the relationship between individual people or cooperative organizations united together to help themselves through mutual action.
RURAL URBAN MIGRATIO:          this also means urban rush the movement of people from rural areas to urban areas may be due to the problem of electricity or lack of job and good roads.
ONWERNITES:  they were people that fought for the community alleviate them from their suffering and abolished the evils of capitalism.
ROCHDALE PIONEERS:       they were people that carried out the gospel of cooperation after the twenties they formed the first modern cooperative societies in England with 28 weavers.