we are organized exclusively for charitable, social and educational purposes,
we are organized exclusively for charitable, social and educational purposes,
The name of this organization shall be The IJEBU INDIGENES ORGANIZATION DFW UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The Ijebu Indigenes Organization DFW of The United States of America is organized exclusively for charitable, social and educational purposes, including for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations described from under Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or e corresponding section of any future federal tax code.
Such purposes also include but are not limited to the following:
Full membership of this Organization shall be open to all Ijebus, 21 years and over in The DFW area of the United States of America, including their spouses and children, who will be prepared to serve and comply with the rules and regulations of the Organization.
Qualification for admittance to this organization: All people of Ijebu descent, including their spouses and children, are welcome regardless of sexual orientation, social or economic status.
New member application with a fee of $100, shall be submitted to the General Secretary starting from January 2016.
A member shall be deemed to be in good standing, if he/she is up to-date in the payment of membership dues and any other special levies determined by the membership and attended, at least, two-thirds of the monthly meetings yearly.
Any non-indigenous person e.g spouse of an Ijebu member is considered “Associate Member” with limitation such as:- He or she shall be eligible for elected offices EXCEPT for the position of the President, Vice President, General Secretary and Treasurer.
An active member is entitled to the rights/privileges of membership in the Organization, only when he/she is in good standing as defined in article 3, section 3. A member shall be regarded as inactive if he/she fail to meet the above stated requirements for active membership. A member, having failed to pay or attend meetings receives a warning at the third month (3rd month) of violation and is dismissed at the sixth month (6th month). To be reinstated, the member must reapply and pay the application fees of $100. The welfare committee will contact them to inquire about their welfare on the 3rd month. Even if you pay the whole year you still have to attend to be considered a member for at least 6 months.
All members shall be required to sign a Declaration of Membership” statement as shown in “Appendix A”.
The Organization shall convene every two years for a special meeting at which the members shall elect the officers, formulate overall policy and direction and, if necessary, amend the by-laws and/or Constitution of the Organization. The Organization shall remain assembled until all business shall have been completed or a motion for adjournment shall have been passed*** and seconded.
There shall be three types of meetings of the general house as specified below:
Membership meetings shall be called as provided in Article 10, Section 1“Frequency of Meetings”.
During the monthly of the organization and also to provide for the general welfare of the organization.
A members can be levied or fined for tardiness, unexcused absences, and other misconducts while the meeting is in progress or any other time before and after the meeting is over.
All legislative matters to be considered by the Organization shall be placed on the Agenda for the monthly membership meeting.
The hard copies/or emails/text messages of the monthly minutes shall be brought by the General Secretary and distributed to all members present at the monthly meetings.
A nominating and election committee consisting of a chairperson and two members shall be appointed at the time of regular elections by the Executive Members. The appointees will conduct the elections according to the procedures set up in the constitution and the result will be brought back to the general house for final approval.
Report of the Nominations and Election Committee shall be made immediately after the voting.
An electoral committee member shall not contest for election due to a conflict of interest.
Members who are in good financial standing but do not meet the two-third attendance requirement, (with verifiable valid reason of absences) can vote during the election but are not able to run for any office.
In event there is an unfilled position, other candidates can be nominated from the floor by, and of any member in good standing, as long as the nomination is seconded.
To be eligible for nomination, a candidate must have been a member in good standing, as stated in Article 3, Section 3, for, at least, twelve (12) months.
Election shall be by secret ballot voting.
Each member has one vote. Voting is allowed to eligible members in good standing. Eligible member must be, at least, twenty-one (21) years of age.
Members can be voted for in absentia under these
circumstances;
To be elected to an office, a simple majority is required.
Any member in good standing is allowed to send in his/her vote prior to, or on the election day, to the chairperson of the election committee.
Upon the ratification of the election results, the Nominations and Election Committee shall seize to be in operation.
The officers of the Organization shall consist of the following:
Each officer must be a member in “good standing” in the Organization at all times and must have attended, at least, two-thirds of the monthly meetings yearly to keep this status.
All officers shall serve for a period of not more than two consecutive terms and must run for re-election at the end of the first term (every 2 years).
If the office of the President becomes vacant, the Vice President shall Automatically become the President. The executive officers will appoint a temporary Vice President temporarily for one month until the members elect an eligible candidate to fill the office for the unexpired term. Service in an office for the unexpired term shall not make the officer ineligible for nomination or election to that office or any other office.
The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the Organization and shall preside over meetings of the Organization. The President shall be the spokesperson of the Organization unless otherwise so designated by the President. The President shall cast the deciding vote whenever there is tie. The President is vested with the authority to summon executive meetings as appropriate. The President shall delegate the executive members to appoint a chairperson for committees relating to matters under their department. The President shall appoint special assistants if deemed necessary and appropriate. The president shall be a signatory to the Organization’s account.
The Vice President shall perform such duties as the President may assign and act for the President in his/her absence. The Vice President shall be required to perform the following duties:
The Secretary shall keep accurate and complete minutes of all meetings of the Organization. The Secretary shall read and present the minutes for adoption. The Secretary shall be the custodian of all records, files and documents of the Organization.
The Secretary shall be responsible for the general correspondence of the Organization, and shall keep a record of all proposals for membership. The Secretary shall keep records of all new members and roster of membership of the Organization. The secretary shall have further powers and duties as may be prescribed.The Secretary shall be a signatory to the Organization’s account.
The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary in the discharge of his or her duties. In the absence of the Secretary, the assistant Secretary shall act as the Secretary. The Assistant Secretary shall notify members of the meeting dates and time, if notices were not sent out in a timely manner.
The Treasurer shall receive and supervise the safekeeping and expenditure of the funds and investments of the Organization. The Treasurer shall make expenditures only upon written authorization by a majority the President and the Organization. The Treasurer shall deposit all monies paid in the name of the Organization to the bank within three (3) working days of their receipt. The treasurer shall pay all obligations and bills by check drawn by him/her and countersigned by the signatories. The Treasurer shall report on the financial condition of the Organization at all meetings and other times when called upon by the President. The treasurer shall be a signatory to the Organizations, account. The Treasurer shall bring all account books, checks and register of the Organization to all meetings. The Treasurer shall make the financial books and records of the Organization available to the auditor on demand and provide all necessary assistance to make the auditor’s work efficient. At the expiration of the term of office, the treasurer shall deliver to the successor, all books, monies and properties of the Organization.
The treasurer shall make expenditures only upon authorization by the organization and through a majority vote of two-thirds.
The Financial Secretary shall collect dues from members and keep an accurate record of all money collected. The Financial Secretary shall hand over all money collected to the Treasurer within 48 hours or otherwise to the General Secretary in the absence of the Treasurer. The Financial Secretary shall be the collector of all donations, membership dues and levies, and submit financial report every three months to the Organization.
The Social Secretary shall take charge of all social activities of the Organization and shall also head the Welfare Committee.
The Assistant Social Secretary shall assist the social secretary in the discharge of his/her duties.
The Public Relations Officer shall be responsible for the publicity of all activities of the Organization. The PRO shall be in charge of the Organization’s Publications.
The chief whip duties shall include maintaining orderliness during the meetings and whenever there is a gathering of the Organization members and Executives. The Chief Whip is also the head of the Disciplinary Committee.
The Ex-Officio shall be the immediate past president of the Organization. He/she shall serve as an active member of the executive committee. His/her term shall expire when a new President is elected, unless if the new President is an incumbent.
All real property of the Ijebu Indigenes Organization DFW of the United States of America shall be managed, directed and controlled, through supervision and advisement of the executives. They shall be charged with the following responsibilities:
All officers shall relinquish all official records and pertinent information of the Organization to the President within thirty (30) days prior to the completion of their terms.
By-laws consistent with the provisions of this Constitution may be adopted or amended only at the monthly meeting and if deemed necessary, at an appointed date by a majority of the members present and voting in preliminary session upon the following conditions:
All proposed amendments to the By- laws shall be received by the general secretary no later than thirty (30) days prior to the monthly meeting at an adopted date if necessary, and the proposed amendments shall be mailed or circulated to each member of the Organization at least fifteen (15) days prior to the monthly meeting. In the event that the Secretary shall fail or neglect to mail or circulate to the members of the Organization, the proposed amendments as provided may be submitted at the adopted date provided that a majority of the members present agree to waive the notice requirements and act thereon. The Organization shall remain assembled until all business have been completed or a motion for adjournment have been passed by majority vote.
Majority of the members present shall constitute a quorum. The presence of at least two third members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at general meetings for the transaction of any business. If however, such quorum shall not be present, the presiding officer shall have the power to delay or adjourn the meeting in reasonable amount of time, until a quorum shall be present. Otherwise, members present can, by a majority vote, waive the quorum requirement, to allow the transaction of business to occur or not.
Any officer’s rights could be terminated by two-third majority votes of the whole house. The President shall establish an ad-hoc committee to investigate and report to the executive any allegation of wrongdoing by any member of the executive. However, if the President is under investigation, the executive members shall appoint the investigation committee.
Section 5 Dissolution or Discontinuance
The Ijebu Indigenes Organization DFW of the United States of America shall use its funds only to accomplish the objectives and missions specified in the by- laws and no part of said funds shall incur or be distributed to the executive members, or member, except for reasonable Organization expenses. On the dissolution or discontinuation of the Organization, any funds remaining shall be distributed to one or more regularly organized and qualified charitable, educational, scientific or philanthropic organizations to be selected by the executive members. Upon the dissolution of the organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to a state or local government, for a public purpose. Any such assets not disposed of shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction in the county in which the principal office of the organization is then located , exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said Court shall determine, which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.
The Ijebu Indigenes Organization DFW of the U.S.A. shall operate as a secular body and shall, on no occasion, adopt any religion as a dominant religion.
Committees shall be composed of members in good standing and chaired by a member appointed by the President subject to majority vote of the executive members. All committees formed by the executive members shall function solely in accordance with such directives as the executive members may, by resolution, lawfully approve and shall at all times be responsible to the executive members to insure that policies of the Organization are complied with.
The committee shall consist of the President, Vice President, and other officers as outlined in Article 6, Section 1.1. The President of the Organization shall serve as the chairperson of the executive committee.
The Budget and Finance Committee shall advise the Organization on the financial status of the Organization. The committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer and consist of at least three (3) members of the Association. The committee shall assist the President in preparing an annual budget. The committee shall be responsible for developing the financial procedures of the Association and thus headed by the Treasurer and Financial Secretary.
A Liaison Committee shall be established to coordinate and be responsible for the public affairs and public relations of the Organization, particularly with respect to interacting with other Organization/Associations promoting cooperation in providing benefits to Nigerians in the DFW metroplex/across America and other places around the world. The committee shall be chaired by the Public Relations officer and consist of at least three members.
A policy committee shall be established to prepare policy statements, including the revision of membership criteria and amendments to the Organization documents including the creation or termination of any committee function. Their responsibilities also include determination of the membership dues and procuring professional services for the Association, as required.
A Welfare Committee shall be established to oversee the well-being of members of the Organization. The committee shall be required to make periodic telephone calls to members who are either absent from meetings, or have some other problems brought to the attention of the Organization. The committee shall make recommendations on appropriate assistance the Organization may provide to alleviate any problems the member may be experiencing. The committee shall be chaired by the Social Secretary and consist of at least three members.
These by- laws shall be amended, repealed or a new by law adopted, by a vote of two thirds of the members in good standings, but only at a meeting in which written notice of the substance of the proposed amendments was given ten (10) working days prior to the meeting. The executive members and/or Board of Trustees may propose amendments, on its own initiatives.
These by- laws shall become effective when adopted by the members and shall remain effective until amended by the membership in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article 10 & 12.
Any member entitled to the above stated right, benefits or discipline, must be an active member, attend two-third of meetings and in good financial standing in both payment of monthly dues and levies.
If a member is fined for any of the above offense, payment shall be made Immediately. This section of the constitution is open and we will continue add to it.
Any member who abuses, misuses, or steals organizational funds and properties shall face legal proceedings to the full extent of the law as deemed fit by the organization. A disciplinary committee shall be set up and along with the Executive body, decide the penalties for issues such as falsification, sexual harassment or fighting.