Our Cooperative Society

welcome to our movement!

I see first hand the energy driving a powerful, unstoppable grassroots revolution sweeping through Akoko-Edo North. In Ibillo, Ekpesa, Ikiran-Ile (Ebune), Ikiran-Oke (Ebune), Ekor, Lampese, Imoga, Ekpe and Bekuma, people are rising up to demand a future that reflects their strength, brilliance, and ambition. Together, we are laying the groundwork to attract sustainable investments to help develop our great mineral wealth, modernize our agriculture, while upgrading education and health infrastructure. This is a collective movement to reclaim our destiny and usher in a new age of economic prosperity.

We are moving away from the stagnant ways of the recent past and marching boldly toward an era of true accountability and visible progress. Join us as we reclaim the values of our ancient past so as to build the community we all deserve!

Akoko Edo North Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society is a grassroots, socio-economic vehicle that is being established to drive sustainable community development, economic self-reliance, and industrialized growth across the northern territories of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area. Recognizing that women and youth constitute the most energetic yet underfunded segments of the local population, this cooperative will be uniquely structured to bridge the economic gap. By pooling local resources and forming strategic alliances, Akoko Edo North Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society transforms subsistence efforts into scalable, commercialized ventures.

The cooperative will serve as a highly structured, accountable legal platform designed to attract public funding (via Federal and State Constituency Offices), private equity, and international development grants, and directly invest these resources into developing our human and natural capital of Akoko-Edo North.

Femi Abodunde, President, Akoko Edo North Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society

Economic Development

Akoko Edo North Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society's economic development plan focuses on unlocking our immense mineral wealth and transforming our agricultural sector into an industrial-scale engine. Leveraging our strategic location as a gateway between Nigeria’s southwestern and northern trade corridors, the plan outlines a target $70 million total capital raise divided between mining and agricultural commercialization.

🏛️ $50 Million Mineral Development Capital Raise

Akoko-Edo sits on one of West Africa’s most diverse geological formations, containing vast deposits of limestone, marble, gold, feldspar, iron ore, and granite. Our plan will ensure the federal and state constituency office's spearhead activities to attract $50 million in private equity, joint ventures, and federal infrastructure grants for the establishment of a world class mineral processing hub.

🌱 $20 Million Agricultural Expansion Capital Raise

Agriculture represents the fastest path to immediate food security and mass employment. This $20 million allocation focuses strictly on mechanization, processing efficiency, and regional market expansion, leading of with cassava and palm oil related products, eventually including other agricultural categories such as livestock and poultry.

1. Cassava Products Development & Expansion

Commercial outgrower schemes - structuring business partnerships with local producers
Establishing industrial scale community driven flour processing mills (garri, elubo etc)

2. Palm Oil Products Development & Expansion

Establishing nucleus plantation estates
Establishing modern palm oil processing mills
Building refinery infrastructure

Our comprehensive master plan integrates the $70 million capital raise strategy for Akoko-Edo North into a multi-tiered framework designed simultaneously for domestic and international investors, federal grant compliance, and local community engagement.

It incorporates Nigeria’s statutory tax incentives, including the Pioneer Status Incentive (PSI) under the Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) Act, to secure maximum investment protection and profitability.

This master plan will create wealth and progress for the people of Akoko-Edo North through three direct channels: job creation, infrastructure upgrades, and local business growth.

💼 Direct, High-Paying Jobs

Guaranteed Employment: The capital influx directly funds local projects in mining, agriculture, and infrastructure, moving youth from underemployment into stable, well-paying careers.

Skill Development: Investors bring training programs to the region, giving local workers specialized certifications in modern agricultural tech, mechanized mining, and engineering.

🛣️ Transformed Infrastructure

Better Roads & Transport: Federal grant compliance ensures that funding is locked in to pave critical roads, connecting remote villages to major economic hubs.

Reliable Power & Clean Water: Industrial development forces the expansion of power grids and water access, meaning cleaner, more reliable utilities for everyday households.

📈 Wealth for Local Businesses

The "Multiplier Effect": As major investors and the federal government establish and expand operations in Akoko Edo North, they buy millions of dollars in food, logistics, housing, and supplies from local traders, farmers, and artisans,

Women

Infleuncing A Legislative Agenda for Health, Rights, and Economic Self-Reliance

Akoko Edo North Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society's will focus on influencing federal and state legislative agenda's: We cannot achieve sustainable economic growth if the backbone of our rural economy—our women—lacks health security.

Akoko-Edo North women are industrious farmers, traders, and community builders. However, geographic remoteness, poor health infrastructure, and a lack of structured capital limits their potential. Our plan transitions women from "surviving" to "thriving" by treating healthcare as an economic multiplier.

🏛️ Pillar 1: Legislative Advocacy & Federal Resource Attraction

Securing federal funding, institutional support, and structural alignment.

Domestication of the National WEE Policy: We will seek to enure our representatives sponsor localized implementation frameworks to align constituency allocations with the Nigeria National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy.

Federal PHC Revitalization Grants: We will push for targeted national allocations through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) to rehabilitate underserved Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across Akoko-Edo.

Strategic Counterpart Partnerships: We will actively collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs to promote the Nigeria for Women Scale-Up Project within Akoko-Edo.

💰 Pillar 2: Economic Empowerment & Livelihood Diversification

Unlocking capital, processing capacity, and formal marketplace structures.

Formation of Women Affinity Groups (WAGs): We will transition loose community groups into our structured cooperative. Our cooperative will build social capital, and unlock economic opportunities for grassroots traders and farmers..

The Akoko-Edo Agro-Processing Fund: Akoko-Edo is rich in cassava, yam, plantain, and cocoa. We will seek federal grants to build localized solar-powered processing hubs (e.g., garri and plantain flour processing plants) This moves our producers from raw production to high-margin value addition.

Direct-to-Market Infrastructure: To ensure economic independence, we will will provide interest-free starter grants—advancing beyond simple vocational training into sustainable business expansion.

🏥 Pillar 3: Health Security as an Economic Foundation

A sick woman cannot farm or trade. We will safeguard the reproductive, maternal, and basic health of Akoko Edo North Women.

Youth

Based on recent feedback, protests, and community forums from the youth across the communities of Akoko-Edo Federal Constituency, young constituents have expressed deep frustration over unfulfilled constituency promises, a lack of accountable funding, deteriorating infrastructure, impassable roads, rising insecurity/kidnappings, and an alarming surge in substance abuse.

We will focus on ensuring our legislators deliver Constituency Engagement plans that address the following priorities.

1. Accountability & Open Governance (The Trust Restructuring)

Open a fully accessible, staffed constituency office in Akoko Edo North (at Ibillo ) to bridge the communication gap. This office will feature an anonymous feedback desk to capture evolving youth ideas and grievances.

Publish annual breakdowns of the Federal Constituency Allowance allocations. Conduct biannual town halls driven by the Akoko-Edo North Youth for Good Governance forum to let the youth co-select Zonal Intervention Projects (ZIPs).

2. Employment, ICT & Digital Economy (Human Capital Development)

Secure federal funding through the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy to build an ICT training center. Focus training on Artificial Intelligence (AI), IoT, and software development to match contemporary tech initiatives.

Partner with state platforms like EdoJobs and the Edo Youth Skill-Up framework to formally link skilled Akoko-Edo North youth with national freelance networks and corporate employers.

3. Modernized Agriculture & Micro-Grants (Economic Self-Reliance)

Scale up the existing Ministry of Labour and Employment equipment grant scheme for the constituency. Move away from superficial "empowerment items" and focus on distributing high-yield inputs like mechanized farm sprayers, storage processing tools, and climate-resilient seedlings.

Facilitate Access Bank/BOI low-interest agricultural loans specifically for youth-led cooperatives in food-producing wards.

4. Legislative Advocacy for Infrastructure & Security

Move urgent legislative motions on the floor of the Green Chamber to compel the Federal Ministry of Works and FERMA to heavily rehabilitate critical, collapsed road networks which currently serve as hotspots for criminal elements.

Formally petition the Ministry of Defence and the Inspector General of Police to deploy a permanent security presence or military base to checkmate the rampant kidnapping index within the local government's borders.

5. Social Welfare & Substance Abuse Eradication

Partner with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to establish community-level oversight. Introduce sports tournaments, creative arts grants, and mental health/rehabilitation support programs within the constituency to actively divert vulnerable youth away from substance abuse.

Set up a rapid-response legislative lobby to ensure the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) immediately dispatches relief packages to disaster-displaced youth and families within impacted communities (such as the recent storms in Atte).