It is our great pleasure to welcome you to Bodija (Ibadan) Unique Cooperative Investment & Credit Society Limited. The idea of a new cooperative society was mooted, debated, and conceived in the last quarter of 2016 by the quartet of Mr. Olufemi Adesope, Mr. Gbolahan Arogundade, Ms. Timi Osunde, and Mr. Olusegun Sanni.

For posterity's sake, it is important to restate that the raison d’être for the formation of the cooperative is to provide financial empowerment and wealth creation for members through the pooling of resources within agreed sets of rules and regulations.

It was, however, decided from the onset that the outfit will be distinct and unique in outlook, focus, orientation, and practice and it shall be significantly different from the other cooperatives in its operating environment. Despite this, we did not want to create an elitist union; we preferred a union that is open to all – business persons, civil servants, professionals in different endeavors, SME operators, technicians, artisans, and traders because we were determined to build an outfit with a broad-based appeal and, at the same time, provide a financial safety net to all members irrespective of status, ethnicity, religion, sex, education or creed. We were confident that the strength of the collective will protect the vulnerable and the less privileged members of the union.

The goal, therefore, was to birth an uncommon and distinctly unique cooperative brand founded on diligence, integrity, accountability, transparency, mutual trust, and respect for all. This ultimately informed the name “Unique” which the cooperative adopted when it was registered on April 17, 2017.

Similarly, it was also agreed from the get-go that the outfit would fully embrace the six core values of a cooperative namely: self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. Likewise, it was unanimously decided that the foundation of the society will be built on the seven principles of cooperatives approved by the International Cooperative Association viz: open and voluntary membership; democratic member control; members’ economic participation; autonomy and independence; education, training, and information; cooperation among cooperatives; and concern for the community.

As a corollary to the above benchmarks, a deliberate decision was taken to focus on the following: communication and consultation, goals and focus, flexibility and adaptability, and technological infrastructure which represent the best practices of successful cooperatives.

Hence, in line with the above, we resolved to do things differently by putting in place the following important safeguards that will stand the test of time and serve the overall interests of members:

▘ All financial deposits are paid to the designated accounts of the cooperative.
▘ Key activities are undertaken through the working committees.
▘ Deployment of a robust policy for loan administration.
▘Process ownership is deepened through the voluntary hosting of monthly meetings and sponsorship of AGMs by members.
▘Streamline the ‘Know Your Members’ (KYM) certification process.
▘Use of WhatsApp and email as official communication channels of the society.
▘All members receive monthly bank statements of the cooperative; and,
▘Minutes of meetings are sent to all Members.

In addition, we have put in place the following benchmarks to enrich our collective cooperative experience:
a) A robust loan policy and credit score system,
b) A redoubtable investment policy, and,
c) Code of Conduct & Ethical Standards for members

We chose this path to avoid the pitfalls of similar ventures in the past and we also heeded the wise counsel of Erika Oppenheimer (2017), an author and prep coach who advises that: “Without a solid foundation, you’ll have trouble creating anything of value”.

The activities and operations of the society are coordinated by the Executive Committee in line with the statutory byelaws guiding the operations of cooperatives in Oyo State. Working committees are also empaneled every cooperative year to assist the Executive Committee to deliver its mandate. Some of these committees are:

▘Membership Committee
▘Investment Committee
▘Loans Committee
▘Welfare Committee
▘Strategy and Technology Committee
▘AGM Planning Committee.

The society will forever be grateful to Mr. Gbolahan Arogundade, Mr. Tajudeen Azeez, and Mr. Biodun Agbele who gave the initial deposits for the project’s take-off and have continued to support the society.

It is also important to state that the following pioneer members, Mr. Olusegun Sanni, Mr. Gbolahan Arogundade, and Mr. Olufemi Adesope committed substantial resources to the registration, brand development, printing of materials, mobilization, and the inauguration of the society.

The foundation members are Mr. Olusegun Sanni (foundation President), Mr. Gbolahan Arogundade (foundation Vice President), Mr. Olufemi Adesope (foundation Secretary), Miss Timi Osunde (foundation Treasurer), Mr. Tajudeen Azeez, Mr. Abiodun Agbele, Mr. Olajire Agbele, Alhaja Iyadunni Oyesiji, Mr. Dipe Olatunbosun (of blessed memory), Mr.Joe Akpan Udoh and Mr. Tunde Kazeem Abolade.

The society has continued to grow and has a membership that cuts across many careers and trades including entrepreneurs, professional advisors, business people, and traders.

The society’s membership is open to committed individuals and corporate organizations who are willing to commit to the widely accepted principles of cooperatives as laid down by the International Cooperative Alliance.

All enquiries for membership should be directed to:

President - Mr Olufemi ADESOPE - 08034340108
Secretary- Mr. Olajide AKOSILE - 08069094238