COOPERATIVE BUSINESS ENTERPRISE AS A TOOL FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF MEMBERS (A STUDY OF SELECTED COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN OWERRI NORTH L.G.A, IMO STATE)

ABSTRACT The aim of this research is to examine cooperative business enterprise as a tool for socio-economic empowerment of members in Owerri West LGA. Data was retrieved from 6 representatives of the selected cooperative societies selected through random sampling technique and from 110 sampled cooperative members of the societies through a multistage sampling procedure achieved mainly through simple random sampling technique at each of the selected cooperative societies:, the simple percentages, simple ranking and Pearson's Chi-square testing, for the hypothesis major findings revealed that the cooperative societies has contributed to the socio-economic empowerment of members of cooperative societies in Owerri North LGA in providing facilities, skills and knowledge, eradicating poverty level, and increasing their farm input and output. It was also discovered that the empowerment has affected the area in many areas such as infrastructural facilities such as building of market stores bus-stops etc. The Researcher therefore conclude that Cooperative action will help people to organize their much needed economic and social services, this will in turn relieve the burden of the state and contribute to the success of economic empowerment; it will make people more aware of their freedom and responsibility to identify and control their own destiny, and as such make democratization irreversible. It will strengthen popular participation and decentralized decision making so as to put national development on a wider pedestal. Therefore, recommended that Socio-cultural empowerment programmes should be carried out always to help empower members of cooperative societies.