UAM Constitution

This is the constitution of the Urhobo Association of Manitoba, Canada. This constitution shall govern the activities of the association; subject to the laws of Manitoba and Canada. If the provision of the constitution conflicts with an established law of any country or community in which the association operates, the said law shall supersede.

A. NAME OF ASSOCIATION: The name of the association is Urhobo Association of Manitoba.

B. MOTTO: BE YOUR BROTHERS’ AND SISTERS’ KEEPER. Love one another. Be there for one another. Do what you can do to help the Association grow; do not think of what the Association can do for you.

C. Objectives:

1. Economic: The economic objective is to enhance the economic wellbeing of individual members and the association through pooling resources together for the benefit of members, the Association, and humanity in general.

2. Social: This is to promote good relationships among members as well as project the good image of the members, the association, Africans, African descendants, African countries, and humanity in general.

3. Welfare: This will be in line with our motto “Be your brothers and sisters’ keeper”. What touches one touches all. We shall be supportive of our members in all ramifications – economically, emotionally, educationally, financially, etc. – come rain come shine.

4. Cultural: This is to promote the cultural heritage of Urhobos/Isoko especially but will include the other African cultures to be better appreciated by non-Africans.

5. Educational: This is to promote general education of members and members’ families culturally, economically, socially, and health-wise.

6. Brother’s Keeper: The association was formed purely to be brothers and sisters of Urhobo keepers. Therefore, each member should not think of what the meeting will do to benefit him or her, instead think of what type of help and support he or she can give to our members and our newly arriving brothers and sisters from the motherland.

A. ELIGIBILITY: The prospective member:

1. Must have Urhobo lineage by birth or marriage.

2. Must be eighteen years old and above.

3. Must not be of questionable character.

4. Must pay the registration fee at the time he/she indicates interest.

- The registration fee shall be twenty dollars ($20.00). This is subject to review as the house deems fit. Prospective members may declare membership after observing the meeting a maximum of three times. A declared member can hold his/her registration fee until they secure a job or for another 3 months at most; if necessary.

- Financial responsibility shall be retroactive after the decision to become a member is made.

5. Must agree to abide by the constitution and other rules and regulations of the organization.

6. The applicant shall complete the association’s membership application form which will be screened by the Welfare committee to ensure compliance with membership requirements.

B. MEMBERSHIP STATUS: A member shall be in good standing or not in good standing.

1. Member not in good standing: A member is not in good standing if such a member is guilty of one or more of the following:

a. Has been absent from four (4) or more meetings within the last ten (10) consecutive meetings (emergency meetings and official gatherings inclusive).

b. Owes dues, fines, levies, etc. for three (3) months or more.

c. Owes loan and/or interest that is past due.

d. Has been suspended or expelled from the association or otherwise lost membership of the association.

2. Penalty for Loss of Good Standing Status:

a. Can neither vote nor be voted for.

b. Not entitled to membership benefits or loans.

c. May be barred from attending meetings and events if he or she has already lost membership.

3. Loss of Membership: A member loses membership if he or she is guilty of one or more of the following:

a) Absent from 6 consecutive meetings.

b) Owes 6 months of dues.

c) Found guilty of gross misbehavior by a committee set up to investigate said behavior.

d) Guilty of an act outside of the association that tarnished the reputation and image of the association.

e) Refuses to abide by the constitution and rules and regulations of the association.

f) Loss of membership decisions will be taken in the house with a proper quorum and approval from at least 50% of members before expulsion or loss of membership occurs.

4. Reinstatement: A member not in good standing may reinstate good standing by

a. paying all the outstanding amount owed;

b. paying a status reinstatement fee of $50.00.

c. paying a membership reinstatement fee of $100.00 if the member has lost membership – in this case, a) does not apply.

All reinstatement is subject to approval by a simple majority of members in a properly constituted general meeting.

A. The officers shall be the following:

1. President

2. Vice–President

3. Secretary-General

4. Financial Secretary

5. Treasurer

7. Publicity Secretary (PRO)

8. Social Secretary

9. Assistant Secretary

10. Chairman of Welfare committee (CWC)

B. Duties and responsibilities of officers:

1. The president is responsible for the overall supervision of the association, the other officers, and the activities of the association. The president has the authority to assign or delegate duties to members of the association. The president shall communicate with the other elected officers to coordinate the general meetings.

2. Vice–President: The vice-president shall assist the president, deputize for him/her in his / her absence and carry out any other duties that the president may assign or delegate to him or her.

3. The Secretary-General is responsible for taking minutes of meetings in the general and executive meetings and making the same available to the house in a presentable and timely manner. She/he shall be the custodian of the documents of the organization; except those that are required to be kept by the financial secretary, the treasurer, and other officers. She/he shall document and keep the summary of financial transactions in each meeting. She/he shall send via e-mail the minutes of the previous meeting to all members not later than seven (7) days before the next meeting date. The secretary shall keep and update the hosting roster and membership directory. She/he shall also perform other duties as directed by the president.

4. Assistant Secretary: The assistant secretary shall assist the Secretary-General, deputize for him/her in his/her absence and carry out any other duties that the Secretary-General or president may assign or delegate to him/her.

6. The treasurer oversees all assets and liabilities of the association. Shall receive any money collected for the association from the officer or member who collected the money and deposit it in the bank account of the association not later than three business days from receipt of the money. Must issue a receipt for any money she/he receives. Shall keep accurate records of financial disbursement and deposits into the account. Must present the current monthly bank statement of each of the associations’ bank accounts in each general meeting or as may be requested by the house. Shall keep an accurate summary of all assets and liabilities of the association. Shall keep the checkbooks and savings account statements of the association’s accounts. Must submit documents to the house and audit committee as required.

7. Financial Secretary: The Financial Secretary shall receive money on behalf of the association in the absence of the Treasurer and issue receipts for all money received. Shall hand over all the money received to the treasurer not later than three business days. Shall keep a detailed and accurate record of all financial decisions and financial transactions of the association. Shall prepare and submit to the house member’s financial status in every general meeting and at other times as may be required by the house. Shall prepare and submit annual financial reports to the house. Shall ensure that the tax return is filed promptly and correctly. Shall submit documents to the house as required.

8. Publicity Secretary: The Public Secretary shall oversee all social, cultural, and educational activities. Shall be the chairperson of any committee set up for such purposes. Shall communicate with all members via email and otherwise update them on such activities. He/she shall be the contact person when the association needs to communicate with other organizations or non-members for official purposes. He/she may liaise with other officers or solicit the assistance of any other officer when necessary.

2. Chairman of Welfare Committee (CWC). If there is any welfare matter that needs addressing, the member concerned, or any other member shall inform either the President or the CWC who will, in turn, inform all members. He/she shall oversee the activities of the Welfare Committee.

A. Notice of elections shall be given in the general meeting at least two meetings before the election date, e.g. for election in November; the announcement shall be made in September general meeting or earlier.

B. The general election shall be carried out in the November general meeting, and the elected officers sworn in immediately and resume duties in January of the following year.

C. A member not in good standing can either vote or be voted for.

D. Only candidates that have been members of the association for at least two years (24 months) are eligible to run for the office of president/vice president. Every other position requires at least one year or 24 months of membership.

E. Voting shall be by secret ballot. Voting by proxy through an automated system set up by the electoral committee shall be allowed.

F. Election results shall be determined by whoever gets the largest number of votes.

G. Members will vote and swear in all positions at the same time.

H. In the event of a tie, the result shall be determined by the toss of a coin 7 times; contestants alternating head or tail choice each time. The contestant with three successes wins.

I. Persons who choose, for time constraints or other valid reasons, to not hold a position most declare so before the election. However, by doing so the people have to resign their elected position and face the penalty of not being able to hold office for four years.

J. Tenure of office: Every officer elected in the general election shall be in office for 2 years (24 months). Any officer elected to replace another officer shall be in the office to complete the remaining term of the officer being replaced.

K. Removal from office: An officer may be removed from an office for an act that the association considers inconsistent with the association’s expectation. A written and signed motion for the removal must be submitted to the house in a general meeting. The executive committee shall review the motion and submit a recommendation to the house in the following general meeting. The recommendation shall be ratified in the general meeting through simple majority votes.

L. Suspension from office: A member may be suspended from office as an officer or committee member if he or she is being investigated. The outcome of the investigation after ratification shall be implemented immediately.

M. Swearing-in: New officers shall be sworn in by repeating as follows:

I, ____________________, solemnly declare that I will carry out my duties as _______________ of the Urhobo Association of Manitoba and complete other functions that may be assigned to me by the association, so help me God.

A. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee shall consist of all the elected officers and the Chairman of other committees. This is a supervisory committee that oversees the activities of the other committees and the association. A member may be invited to the committee meeting when necessary. The committee shall submit its recommendations to the general house for approval.

B. Social Committee: The Social Committee shall oversee all social and educational activities; such as seminars, panel discussion, TV/radio interviews, picnics, parties, members’ and ceremonies, etc. The association shall appoint the chairperson of this committee.

C. Welfare Committee: The Welfare Committee shall oversee the welfare and benefits of members of the association; member visitation, screening prospective members for admissions as well as handling disciplinary issues. All acts of undesirable behaviors, allegations, complaints, conflict between members, etc., shall be referred to this committee for investigation. The committee shall make recommendations to the general house for approval. Approval shall be by simple majority of votes of members present in the general meeting with a proper quorum.

A. The general meeting shall be held on the last Sunday of every month, except December. The official time shall be from four (4) p.m. to six (6) p.m. central standard time.

B. Hosting: Every member shall take turns hosting the general meeting.

C. Time Management: General meetings should be limited to three (2) hours maximum. If all items on the agenda are not covered by six (6) p.m., the president shall ask someone to move for adjournment, and any items not resolved will be postponed until the next meeting.

D. Attendance and punctuality to all meetings are mandatory except for expressed permission. It is the responsibility of every member to know the schedule of every general meeting. The Publicity Secretary shall communicate promptly with the schedule of non-general meetings to all members.

E. Emergency meetings can only be summoned by the president or whosoever is deputizing for him if it is not possible for him to do so. Emergency meetings shall be for situations that are truly an emergency in nature; i.e. when the situation requires urgent attention.

F. Quorum: One-third of members in good standing, including at least two of the following: the president (or assign), the secretary-general, or the treasurer, shall form a quorum. If after one hour from the scheduled starting time a quorum is not formed, the meeting shall be adjourned to another day within a week. If a quorum is still not formed at this meeting, the meeting shall be adjourned to the next monthly general meeting. One-quarter of invited members in good standing, including at least one of the following: the president (or assign), the secretary-general, or the treasurer, shall form a quorum in an emergency meeting.

G. Decorum.

1. Proceedings and deliberations shall be orderly.

2. Anyone who wishes to speak must raise his/her hand and must be acknowledged by the presiding officer. Failure to do so results in a $5 fine.

3. Every speaker must address his or her speech to the house and not to an individual. In addition, if a speaker starts to verbally attack and/or encroach on another member’s personal space, he/she will be advised by the presiding officer to withdraw his/her speech and if it continues there will be a fine of $50.

4. All speech on a subject, except report, shall not exceed one minute; this may be extended by one minute by the presiding officer if necessary. Failure to do so shall result in a $20 fine.

5. A member who has been acknowledged to speak by the presiding officer must not be interrupted by any other member except by the presiding officer. Failure to do so shall result in a $20 fine.

6. Point of order/correction. A member may call for a point of order or point of correction when necessary and must address it to the presiding officer who may uphold it and interrupt the speaker being ordered or overrule it and allow the speaker to finish his or her speech. Point of order is necessary when the speaker is digressing from the issue being discussed, speaking for a longer time than is permitted, speaking on an inappropriate topic, using inappropriate words, speaking and/or acting in an inappropriate manner. Point of correction is necessary when the speaker’s information or premises are wrong.

7. Only the presiding officer can uphold or overrule the point of order or point of correction.

8. A member who physically attacks another member or threatens should be suspended immediately and subject to a $300 fine.

9. The presiding officer may at his / her discretion calls for votes to arrive at a decision. Such a decision shall be based on a simple majority vote with the presiding officer abstaining. If there is a tie, the presiding officer shall now vote to break the tie.

10. Every speaker shall acknowledge the presiding officer and the house before speaking.

11. When referring to the preceding speaker, the speaker shall use the phrase “the last speaker” or address by name.

12. Decisions shall be made by consensus or voting.

H. Fines/penalties for non-attendance, lateness, and others:

1. Absenteeism. Fines for absence from general meetings and emergency meetings shall be five dollars ($10.00). Absence from other meetings/ceremonies shall be $10.00).

2. Lateness fines after the grace period of 15 minutes shall be three dollars for all meetings and ceremonies ($5.00).

3. A member may be exempted from absence or lateness penalty if he or she personally contacts the president or the Secretary-General before the meeting and the so-contacted officer reports it to the house during the meeting. The excuse may be rejected if the house deems it not acceptable.

4. A member shall be exempted from a fine only once in three consecutive months irrespective of the reasons and whether he/she contacted the president or secretary-general or not.

5. Any member who is absent from more than four (4) of the ten (10) consecutive meetings (all meetings count: general, emergency, ceremonies, etc.) shall lose the status of good standing. This condition applies whether the member was excused for some or all of the meetings missed or whether the fines were waived.

7. Any member who wants to send an email addressed to all members of the association must get the approval of the president first while PRO checks the send message. Sending messages to members without such permission is subject to a fine of $100.

A. Registration, Dues, Levies

1. The registration fee shall be thirty dollars ($30.00) per member paid at the time of admission.

2. Monthly dues shall be twenty dollars ($20.00) per member per month.

3. Levies may be imposed when deemed necessary and agreed upon by the general house.

B. Accounts Management

1. Signatory to the accounts: Three members of the executive committee are appointed as signatories to the bank accounts. The signatories may be changed with the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the members of the association. Such approval must be made in a general meeting. Only two signatories must sign any check issued by the organization.

2. Approval for disbursements: All disbursements over one hundred dollars must be approved in a well-constituted general meeting or well-constituted emergency meeting. A well-constituted meeting is a general meeting in which a quorum was formed or an emergency meeting in which at least half of the members were contacted, and a quorum was formed. The president may approve the disbursement of one hundred dollars or less if the need cannot wait till the next general meeting. Loans shall not be approved in an emergency meeting except if it involves an accident, illness, or police issue which cannot wait until the next general meeting.

3. Executive incentive: All the executive members will have an open incentive of not more than $300 per year allocated to the executive members for activities/rewards as they deem fit.

4. Audit: The accounts shall be audited at the end of each year by an audit committee appointed by the general house. The audit report shall be ready not later than a month into the new year. The report shall be deliberated upon, and all issues resolved not later than three months into the new year.

All members shall have equal rights irrespective of age, gender, any other status, or office/position in the organization.

We should maintain a good standard of behavior by respecting one another and treating one another as we expect to be treated. If there is any conflict between members, there will be no need to discuss members privately in a separate group. If any member is doing what is not acceptable by anyone involved, he or she should address the problem individually with the member involved; if the settlement is not satisfactory, he or she should contact the president. The president shall refer the issue to the Welfare Committee. The Welfare Committee shall address the issues and report to the house.

Any member who wishes for a prior decision to be reviewed shall submit a written motion to that effect in a general meeting. Such a motion shall be reviewed in the following general meeting.

A. Definitions of Fraudulent Practices

The following shall be considered fraudulent practices:

1. Using the association’s fund without the appropriate approval of the house.

2. Disbursement of funds from the association’s account without appropriate approval.

3. Overspending money on behalf of the association over the amount approved for the purpose.

4. Obtaining credit or loan with the name of the association without the house approval.

5. Using the name of the association to obtain benefit or favor (this may be economic, political, etc.) without the house's approval.

6. Obligating the association in any way without the house's approval.

7. Using the names of members, influence, or goodwill of the association without approval.

B. Penalties for Fraudulent Practices:

The member(s) shall be sent to the Welfare committee; if found guilty, the following penalties shall be imposed:

If money is involved, the amount of money involved must be refunded within 30 days. A fine of one hundred dollars ($500.00) shall be imposed on each member involved, and the outcome must be discussed in the general meeting.

(A) The purpose of the benefit is to help members alleviate financial stress during times of need. A Member shall qualify for benefit if he or she has been a member of the association for Eighteen months or more and is in good standing. (see Article II, Membership, Section B (1) for good standing status) Support by every member is mandatory. Outstanding dues, fines, levies, loans, interests past dues, etc. owed by the beneficiary will be deducted from the benefit.

Types of Benefits:

(1) Childbirth: The baby shower shall be organized by the Welfare committee, not exceeding $200 per childbirth. Members are expected to support gift items.

(2) Marriage: The association shall give $500.00 (five hundred dollars). If both couples are members, the association shall give $600.00 (Six hundred dollars) while every member shall support an amount not less than fifty dollars.

(3) Death of a Member's parent: The association shall give $500.00 (five hundred dollars) while every member supports with an amount not less than twenty dollars.

Substitution: A member may substitute a relative noted on the membership form only if the actual parent is late. Limit: once for a father and once for a mother.

(4) Death of a member’s spouse: Every member shall support the surviving spouse who is not our member with fifty dollars. This benefit is once in a lifetime.

(5) Death of a member: The organization shall give $2000.00 (two thousand dollars) to the surviving spouse or next of kin while every member supports with an amount not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00).

(6) Others: other ceremonies carry no financial benefits, but attendance is mandatory. Members may apply for exemption from attendance, which may or may not be approved. Every instance shall be treated on its own basis.

(7) New Member: All members of the meeting will provide foodstuffs of not less than $20 worth which will be coordinated by the welfare committee. The foodstuff will be handed over to the new member after they declare an interest.

If member needs assistance due to reasons not mentioned above, the house may decide on the type of assistance to be rendered.

(B) LOANS: Loans may be granted to members in good standing who have been members for twelve months or more.

(1) Interest on the loan shall be 5.5% (five and a half percent) of the principal. The loan must be repaid in full within six (6) months but can be paid back sooner if desired.

(2) If the borrower is unable to pay the loan in full after the six months period, he/she can request an extension of the loan period for an additional three months. The interest rate shall be 8% (eight percent) of the principal balance for the three-month period.

(3) If the majority of the members do not approve an extension of the loan, the loan is due in full immediately and the guarantor must pay if the borrower is unable to pay.

(4) The maximum amount of loan that can be granted to a member at a time is two thousand dollars ($2,000.00).

(5) An outstanding loan must be paid back in full before the borrower and/or guarantor can apply for a new loan.

(6) In order to borrow money from the Urhobo Association of Manitoba, you are required to have 2 co-signers /guarantors.

(7) Any member who is a co-signer / guarantor on an existing loan shall not co-sign/guarantee another loan until the existing loan is paid in full. A member shall not cos-sign / guarantee more than one loan at a time.

(8) Application for a loan must be submitted at the general meeting. An application for a loan must not be treated as an emergency, nor will approval through phone calls be used; except somebody’s life is at stake.

(9) All loans must be approved by at least 50% of members in good standing and the loan application signed by the president before disbursement. Approval must be documented by the Secretary-General, Treasurer, and Financial Secretary.

The spirit of the brothers and sisters’ keeper should shine. Therefore, all members should prepare to support financially, physically, emotionally, even your best way of providing your best food to share with your brothers and sisters in Manitoba Canada. The same goes for Christmas and other parties, such as members’ parties, etc. All members should help with clean-up and stay until the job is finished.

The constitution may be amended in part or in whole by a simple majority vote of all members. The following procedure shall be followed to amend the constitution:

1. The motion for amendment shall be introduced in writing to the house at a general meeting.

2. Every member shall be served as a copy of the motion for amendment.

3. Members shall have until the next meeting to consider the motion for amendment.

4. The proposed amendment shall be debated at the meeting following the one in which the motion for amendment was introduced. A vote may be taken at this meeting.

5. Members who could not attend the meeting may cast a proxy vote by a written statement (Email). Proxy votes must reach the secretary before the meeting.

6. An amendment shall take effect on the date/time specified by the house

When in doubt about any clause or provision of the constitution, the general house shall debate it and decide on the correct interpretation by consensus or simple majority votes. The clause or provision so decided shall be amended to conform to the new interpretation.