The Nigerian Co-operative Law: Taking the Baton from P.A. Oluyede

Some of the challenges hindering the development of co-operatives and their governing laws in Nigeria are the inadequacy of literature, and the lack of standardized classification on the subject of co-operative law. With the aim to identify and espouse relevant literature on the subject matter, this paper seeks to collect, collate and review the relevant literature. A classic was identified in the work of P.A. Oluyede (1988) Nigeria Administrative Law, in chapter four, entitled “Public Corporations, and Public Enterprises.” Among other findings, the learned author dedicated the chapter to the historical development of Nigerian co-operative societies and their governing laws, situated cooperatives as public enterprises, and made recommendations. Furthermore, it was observed that there have been few contributions within the annals of the Nigerian academic and research community on co-operative law. Thus, Oluyede’s classics retains its position as a primary reference material for the modernization of the Nigerian cooperative law and sets the path for its standardization. However, supposedly consequential development has remained elusive, hence the imperatives to build on some of the positions espoused in Oluyede’s chapter in view of current realities. Although P.A Oluyede’s contribution retains its position as a top-notch reference material, some of the positions canvassed are no longer applicable to Nigerian co-operatives, hence the need to review Nigerian cooperative law as recommended.