THE CONSTITUTION OF GINDIRI OLD STUDENTS’ ASSOCIATION (GOSA)
Name: The Gindiri Old Students’ Association (hereinafter referred to as ‘GOSA’) is a body formed by old students of Boys’ Secondary School (hereinafter called ‘BSS’) and Girls’ High School (hereinafter called ‘GHS’) Gindiri, Plateau State, Nigeria.
PREAMBLE
We the members of Gindiri Old Students’ Association have firmly and solemnly resolved;To live in Unity and Harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble Association under God; and to Provide for ourselves a Constitution for the purpose of promoting good relationship and welfare of our members and the development and progress of our alma mater.
Do hereby make and give to ourselves the following Constitution:
1. CITATION
This document may be cited as the Constitution of Gindiri Old Students’ Association (hereinafter referred to as “GOSA”).
2. COMMENCEMENT
The provisions of this constitution shall come into operation with effect from the date of adoption by the Convention.
3. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aims and objectives of the Association shall be:a. To seek, uphold and promote high academic, spiritual and moral standards in our alma maters, i.e BSS and GHS Gindiri.
b. To establish good relationship between the Old Students and the Schools;
c. To create a spirit of unity amongst all members irrespective of their states of origin, tribe, race, sex, religion, status, educational qualification or political affiliation;
d. To foster the spirit of community consciousness and to foster the interest of the members in National and International Affairs;
e. To conduct educational and other researches and advise the Schools accordingly;
f. To participate in the activities of the Schools and assist them whenever the need arises.
g. To undertake any non-profitable ventures for and on behalf of the Schools.
4. MEMBERSHIP
i. The categories of persons that may be members of the Association shall include;a. All persons who graduated from any of the Schools;
b. All persons who attended any of the Schools for not less than two (2) academic sessions ;
c. Honourary members which shall include all past and present teachers of the Schools;
5. REGISTRATION
i. Registration of members shall be with the Branch one belongs to on the payment of a fee to be determined by the National Executive Committee from time to time; where a member is not under an approved Branch, he/she can register at the National Secretariat.ii. A registered member shall in addition to sub-section (i) of this section, pay an annual subscription to be determined by the National Executive from time to time;
iii. All members of the Association as described under Section 4 sub-section (“a” and “b”) shall register while those under sub-section (c) may register if they so wish.
6. PATRONS
i. The following shall be patrons of the Association:a. The Sum Pyem who shall be the Grand Patron b. The proprietor of the Schools c. The Chairman, C.O.C.I.N RCC Gindiri d. The Principals of the Schools.
ii. No member shall be a Patron except if he/she falls under Section 6 (1) of this section.
7. STRUCTURE OF THE ASSOCIATION
The Association shall be structured and organized into:i. National Body ii. Branches iii. Sub-branches iv. Sets
8. THE NATIONAL BODY
i. The National body shall be made up of the totality of members of the Association;ii. The Officers of the National body who are the National Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as “the Exco”), shall comprise of the following:
a. President;
b. 1st Vice President;
c. 2nd Vice President;
d. Secretary General;
e. Assistant Secretary-General
f. Financial Secretary;
g. Treasurer;
h. Social Secretary;
i. Publicity Secretary;
j. Legal Adviser;
k. Deputy Legal Adviser
l. Auditor;
m. Ex-officio who shall include all past Presidents, current Chairmen of all Branches, Principals of the two Schools and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the two Schools who shall be a GOSA member and such other members as may be co-opted from time to time on approval at the Convention.
9. FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICERS
i. The President Shall:a. Be the Chief Executive Officer of the Association and shall preside over all National Executive Committee meetings and Conventions;
b. Coordinate the activities and authorize expenditure on behalf of the Association.
c. Be the official representative and leader of the Association in all functions unless otherwise delegated.
ii. The 1st Vice President shall:
a. Assist the President at all times;
b. Preside over meetings in the absence of the President;
c. Carry out any other functions as may be delegated by the President.
iii. The 2nd Vice President shall:
a. Assist the President and the 1st Vice President and perform such functions as may be assigned;
b. Carry out any other functions as may be assigned by the President.
iv. The Secretary General shall:
a. Summon all National Executive Committee Meetings and Conventions in liaison with the President;
b. Record minutes of National Executive Committee Meetings and Conventions and circulate same to all members/Branches;
c. Conduct all correspondences of the Association;
d. Compile a Report of the activities of the Association and report same at the Convention;
e. Be in charge of and undertake all duties of the Secretariat;
f. Be the custodian of all properties, records and documents of the Association;
g. Carry out any other functions as may be assigned or delegated by the President;
h. Shall keep the Common Seal of the Association.
v. The Assistant Secretary-General shall:
a. Assist the Secretary-General to undertake the Secretary-General’s duties in his absence and;
b. Perform such other functions as may be assigned from time to time by the Secretary-General.
vi. The Publicity Secretary shall:
a. Be responsible for publicizing the activities of the Association;
b. Prepare and write press releases on the activities of the Association and send same to the press with the approval of the President/Exco;
c. Censor any articles for publication that are not in the interest of the Association.
vii. The Financial Secretary shall:
a. Collect all registration fees, annual dues and other monies, and deliver same to the Treasurer within 24 working hours of collection;
b. Keep proper records of monies collected and issue receipts for same;
c. Register all members and submit the list to the Secretary-General;
d. Submit when called upon to do so, all financial records to the Auditor or as may be directed by the President/Convention.
e. Present Financial Reports at Conventions;
f. Prepare and submit Budgets for the National body and,
g. Carry out any other functions as may be assigned by the President/Convention.
viii. The Treasurer shall:
a. Receive all monies from the Financial Secretary and deposit same with the Association’s Bankers within 24 working hours of receipt.
b. Withdraw money on behalf of the Association where any two (2) of the under-mentioned append their signatures on the “Bank Withdrawal Form” that is : the President, Financial Secretary or Treasurer;
c. Keep detailed and accurate records of the Association’s monies;
d. Keep the Association’s Stamp, Bank Passbooks, Security Papers and Receipt Books;
e. Submit when called upon , all documents to the Auditor;
f. Perform such other functions as may be directed by the President;
ix. The Social Secretary shall:
a. Arrange all social activities of the Association;
b. Be the Chairman of the Social Committee and shall carry out such assignments as may be directed by the President.
x. The Auditor shall:
a. Check all financial records of the Association; and
b. Carry out any other functions as may be assigned by the President/Convention.
xi. The Legal Adviser shall:
a. Advise on all legal matters and carry out all other legal duties required by and on behalf of the Association; and
b. Perform any such functions as may be assigned by the President/Convention.
xii. The Deputy Legal Adviser:
a. Perform any functions that may be assigned to him by the Legal Adviser and or/ the President/Convention.
b. Perform the functions of the office of the Legal Adviser whenever the Legal Adviser is unable to.
xiii. Ex-Officio members are full Exco members and shall have voting rights, and can be assigned duties by the President.
Co-opted Members shall have no voting rights.
10. BRANCH OFFICERS
There may be established for all Branches, Sub-branches and Sets the following officers:a. Chairman
b. Secretary
c. Assistant Secretary
d. Publicity Secretary
e. Financial Secretary
f. Treasurer
g. Social Secretary
h. Auditor
i. Legal Adviser
j. Ex-Officio members to include immediate past Chairmen and Secretaries
k. Such other members as may be co-opted by the Exco.
11. FUNCTIONS OF THE OFFICERS
The functions of all Branch, Sub-branch and Set Officers shall correspond to those of Officers of the National body as enumerated in Section (9) above.
12. ELECTIONS
Electoral Committee:i. There shall be established an Electoral Committee nominated by the National Convention/Branch Assemblies:
a. The Electoral Committee shall consist of not more than three (3) members who have satisfied all financial obligations;
b. No contestant shall be a member of the Electoral Committee.
ii. The Electoral Committee shall stand dissolved upon the election of the Executive Officers.
13. ELECTION OF OFFICERS
All officers of the Association shall be elected by popular vote at the Convention/General Assemblies in the third year of the tenure:a. A person shall not be qualified to hold or perform the functions of any office unless he/she is a registered member and has been duly elected and sworn to an oath of office;
b. All registered active and financial members of the Association shall be eligible to vote and be voted for;
c. All elections shall be held by secret ballot or consensus declaration;
d. Nomination of all candidates shall be made in writing to the Electoral Committee, or by show of hands at election time;
e. No member shall propose or second more than one candidate for the same post; f. A candidate for election to an office shall be deemed to have been duly elected where he/she has the highest number of votes cast at the election;
g. In respect of the National Executive Committee, the Secretary-General and Treasurer shall ordinarily be resident in or around Jos.
h. All candidates vying for elective positions shall pay a fee to be determined by the National Executive Committee not later than three (3) months prior to the date of the said election;
i. Not more than two (2) officers shall come from any one Branch with the exception of Jos Branch.
j. Members are eligible to contest for all positions except the offices of the 1st and 2nd Vice Presidents which require that BSS and GHS present a candidate each for the two positions.
14 BYE ELECTION
a. Bye-election shall be conducted by the Exco to fill any vacancy within a period of not less than three (3) months of the vacancy or at the next Convention/General Assembly.b. No officer of the Association shall be eligible for Election to another office without first relinquishing his/her office.
15. TENURE OF OFFICE
a. All elected officers shall hold office for a term of three (3) years from the day of swearing in and may be eligible for re-election for another term.b. No officer shall serve on a particular post for more than two (2) terms Provided that such officer may be allowed to continue if at the time of nomination for elections, no new candidate indicates interest and the out-going officer is willing to serve.
16. RESIGNATION AND REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
a. Any officer of the Association may relinquish his/her office voluntarily and such should be made in writing to the Exco;b. An officer may be removed from office whenever there is an established act(s) of wrong doing against him/her;
c. Act of wrong doing shall include:
i. Misappropriation of funds.
ii. Disrespect to constituted authority.
iii. Dereliction of official duty.
iv. Use of un-parliamentary language during meetings.
v. Putting the name of the Association into disrepute through publications or utterances.
vi. Acts of sabotage of the activities of GOSA, such as deliberate dissemination of wrong information.
vii. Other acts of misconduct as may be determined by the Executive Committee.
viii. Non compliance with directives of National, Branch, Sub-Branch and Set Exco.
a. In the event of a vote of no confidence on the Exco or any officer of the Exco by 2/3 of members at a Convention/General Assembly, the Exco/said officer(s) shall be deemed removed.
b. If the Exco resigns or is removed, a 3-man Provisional Committee shall be elected by the Convention/General Assembly to perform the duties of the Exco for a period of not more than three (3) months and conduct fresh elections within the same period.
17. DISCIPLINE
A member may be disciplined if there is an established act(s) of wrong doing against him/her. In case of extreme wrong doing a member may be suspended or expelled from the Association. Similarly a Branch, Sub-branch or Set may be disciplined for established act(s) of wrong doing. An expelled or suspended member who shows remorse and a repentant attitude may be re-absorbed into the Association after meeting the terms and conditions stipulated by the Exco; and if the Exco and/or Convention/General Assembly are not satisfied with the reason(s) adduced may expel such a member.
18. COMMITTEES
The Association shall have the following Committees:a. Research Committee;
b. Social Committee;
c. Education Committee;
d. Any Other Committee.
19. COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF COMMITTEES
(a) COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE RESEARCH COMMITTEE:
i. The composition of the Committee shall be determined by the Exco from time to time;ii. To conduct any research as may be directed by the Exco
(b) COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE SOCIAL COMMITTEE:
i. The Social Secretary shall head this Committee and othermembers shall be determined by the Exco from time to time;
ii. The Social Committee shall be responsible for arranging
and directing all social functions.
(c) COMPOSITION AND FUNCTIONS OF THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE
i. The composition of the Committee shall be determined by the Exco from time to time;ii. To advise the Schools on education and any other matter within its competence
(d) OTHER COMMITTEES:
The Exco may constitute any other Committee as the need arises.
20. ESTABLISHMENT OF SUB-COMMITTEES AND AD–HOC COMMITTEES:
i. The Exco or Convention/General Assembly may constitute Sub-committees and all such Sub-committees shall have definite terms of reference and period within which to conclude their assignments.ii. There shall also be constituted by the Convention/General Assembly an Audit Sub-committee whose assignment shall be for a period not exceeding twelve (12) calendar months:
iii. The Audit Sub-committee shall audit all accounts of the Association and submit its report to the Convention/General Assembly at each Convention/ General Assembly.
iv. Members of the Audit Sub-committee shall not be members of the Exco;
v. Members of the Audit Sub-committee shall not exceed three (3) persons;
vi. The Exco shall appoint External Auditors on annual basis to examine and make appropriate recommendations on the Accounts of the Association.
vii. The Exco shall have powers to constitute a three (3) man Disciplinary Committee to investigate and make appropriate recommendations on any allegation of wrong doing by any member.
21. MEETINGS
i. National: The National Exco shall meet at least three (3) times in a year, that is not less than Nine (9) times before the Convention;ii. The National Convention shall be held every three years provided that not less than five (5) registered Branches are in attendance;
iii. The time and venue of such meetings shall be fixed by the National Exco;
iv. There shall be Extra-Ordinary Convention at the direction of the President whenever necessary and/or at the request of not less than five (5) registered Branches.
22. BRANCHES
i. The Branch Exco shall meet at least quarterly;ii. General Assembly shall be held monthly or as may be determined by the Exco.
23 QUORUM
i (a) The required Quorum at the Convention shall be representatives from five (5) registered Branches;(b) The required quorum at Exco meetings shall be six (6) members, provided that the President or any of the two Vice Presidents is present.
ii The Quorum at Branch Exco and General Assembly meetings shall be five (5) members.
24. BRANCHES
i. There shall be established Branches for the Association;ii. A Branch shall consist of not less than ten (10) members;
iii. A Branch shall:
a. Register with the National Secretariat on payment of a specified fee to be determined by the National Exco from time to time;
b. Pay all registration fees and subscriptions to the National Financial Secretary which may vary from one Branch to the other;
c. Levy its members additional subscriptions as may be deemed appropriate to cover its expenditure;
d. Submit a list of its registered members to the National Secretariat.
25. SUB-BRANCHES:
Sub-branches shall be formed but not limited to institutions of higher learning and shall:i. Operate under the supervision of Branches;
ii. Pay subscriptions to Branches as may be assigned;
iii. Forward to the Branches, the list of its members;
26. INAUGURATION OF BRANCHES AND SUB-BRANCHES
All Branches shall be inaugurated by the National Exco while Sub-branches shall be inaugurated by Branch Exco’s.
27. DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS
The National Exco may delegate a Branch Exco or Officer(s) of a Branch to carry out any function on its behalf.
28. SETS
i. Each Set may meet to share and contribute ideas that may bring positive development to our alma mater; and for this purpose, elect persons to run the affairs of the Set in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution.ii. Set activities especially in respect of Project support and assistance to the alma mater shall be encouraged, provided they are approved by the National Exco.
iii. The equivalent of 30% of the financial value of all Set Special or Anniversary projects shall be mandatorily paid to the National body’s project Account.
29. ACTIVITIES BY BRANCHES OR SETS IN GINDIRI
ii. All activities in the schools shall be carried out only with the consent of the National Exco and such activities shall be carried out in the Association’s name (and on behalf of the National Exco).
30. SECRETARIAT
i. The National Secretariat shall be in Jos; and there shall be appointed/employed an Administrative Officer on terms and conditions as spelt out in his/her Letter of Employment. The duties and responsibilities of the Administrative Officer shall include amongst others the daily running of the operations of the National Secretariat.ii. All National and Branch Exco’s shall deposit at the Secretariat for record and reference purposes, a file containing all minutes of Exco, Convention and General Assembly Meetings held during their tenure. This shall also include all correspondences. There shall be a proper handing over of all documents, records and properties of the Association at the end of each tenure to the new Exco;
iii. Any item sent to the Association by any group(s) or individual(s) such as books, cassettes, etc, shall be kept at the National Secretariat.
31. SOURCE OF FINANCE
The Association shall rely on the under-mentioned for its finances:i. Registration fees;
ii. Annual subscription (Dues);
iii. Donations;
iv. Monies realized from programme of activities and any other legitimate sources;
v. Levies.
32. BANKERS
The Exco, Convention or General Assembly shall determine the Association’s Bankers.
33. PROJECTS
All projects that do not relate directly to the Schools shall require the approval of ¾ of registered Branches before being embarked upon and such Branch Resolutions shall be made in writing to the National Exco; wherein the National Exco shall present same to the Convention for ratification.
34. SIGNATORIES
i. Signatories to the Association’s account(s) at the National, Branch, Sub-branch and Set organs shall be the President/Chairman, Financial Secretary and Treasurer;ii. All withdrawals of monies on behalf of the Association shall be carried out where two out of the three officers mentioned in (i) above append their signatures on the Bank Withdrawal Form, provided the National President or Branch Chairman is a mandatory signatory.
35. BYE-LAWS
All Branches may enact Bye-laws ancillary to the Constitution; Provided that any Bye-law(s) made by a Branch which is inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution shall to the extent of the inconsistency be null and void.
36. AMENDMENTS
i. Any amendments to this Constitution shall only be made at the Convention and for such amendments to become effective it shall be passed by not less than 2/3 of members present.ii. Any person or Branch that desires an amendment to the Constitution must communicate the proposed amendment to the National Secretariat in writing not later than six (6) months before the Convention.
37. SUPREMACY:
1. This Constitution is supreme and its provisions shall have binding effect on all members and organs established under this Constitution.
38. INTERPRETATION
Except otherwise provided in this Constitution:
a. ‘GOSA’ means Gindiri Old Students’ Association.
b. ‘The Schools’ means Boys’ Secondary School Gindiri and Girls’ High School, Gindiri.
c. ‘Proprietor’ means the Church of Christ in Nations (C.O.C.I.N).
d. ‘National Secretariat’ means the National Office of the Association.
e. ‘Convention’ means General Meeting of members of the Association.
f. ‘General Assembly’ means General Meeting of Branches.
g. ‘General Election’ means election of officers during Conventions or General Assemblies.
h. ‘Ex-officio members’ means immediate past Presidents/Chairmen and Secretaries of all Branches.
i. ‘Active Members’ means those members who have continuously participated in GOSA activities and have complied with all relevant financial commitments.