• Disburses over N1b loans to support artisans, traders, small business owners
• Ogun Assembly bans illegal quarry tickets, orders task force deployment over extortion

Ogun State Government has announced plans to upgrade the Ogun State Cooperative College to award National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) qualifications, while disclosing that his administration has disbursed more than N1 billion in loans to cooperatives, artisans and others.

Governor Dapo Abiodun said the initiative was aimed at strengthening cooperative institutions, developing professional manpower and expanding access to finance for grassroots enterprises.

The governor disclosed this yesterday during the 2026 International Day of Cooperatives celebration organised by the Ogun State Cooperative Federation Limited, in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development and Cooperatives in Ijebu-Ode.

He said preparations were under way to improve the College’s infrastructure and academic capacity, positioning it to provide professional training in cooperative management.

Abiodun also disclosed that more than N500 million had been disbursed to cooperative societies through the Ogun State Cooperative Federation under the government’s revolving loan scheme, while another N500 million had been provided through the Oko ‘Owo’ Irinse Dapo Soft Loan Initiative to support artisans, traders and small business owners across the state’s 20 local councils.

He said the interventions were part of his administration’s efforts to improve access to affordable financing, strengthen small businesses and promote inclusive economic growth.

The governor also pledged to provide land for cooperative societies to undertake agricultural production and housing projects, noting that the initiative would create additional economic opportunities, improve food security and support access to affordable housing.

He said cooperative societies remained important instruments of economic development because they enable members to pool resources, access financing and undertake productive ventures that might otherwise be beyond their individual capacities.

Abiodun, therefore, urged cooperative members to uphold accountability, unity and sustainable business practices to ensure that the benefits of government’s support reached the intended beneficiaries.

IN another development, the State House of Assembly has ordered an immediate halt to the issuance of illegal tickets at quarries across the state over allegations of extortion and criminal intimidation of truck drivers.

The House, therefore, directed that drivers in the haulage business, including those conveying sand, gravel and granite, should pay only harmonised tickets approved by the Ministry of Finance, the Internal Revenue Service and recognised associations.

The directive followed a petition by the Union of Tipper Suppliers and Quarry Employers of Nigeria (UTSQEN), which complained of extortion, forceful issuance of illegal tickets, double taxation and the unlawful seizure of trucks by toll collectors at quarry sites.

The decision was taken yesterday at a meeting of the Assembly’s joint Committee on Industry, Trade and Investments and Transportation, chaired by Oluseun Adesanya and Wasiu Ayodele at the Assembly Complex, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

The committee, which warned agents issuing unauthorised tickets to desist immediately, ordered the deployment of a task force to all quarry sites to enforce compliance pending the conclusion of the investigation.

It also summoned the permanent secretaries of the ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, Transportation and the Environment, as well as a senior director from the Ministry of Finance, to appear before it on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, for further investigation into the legality of tickets being issued at quarries.