CONSTITUTION OF THE CLUB
For Members Only
OUTLINE PREAMBLE
We, the members of Arewa Book Club do hereby make for ourselves this instrument which shall be known as the constitution of the Club whose provision shall come into force with effect from date it is adopted by a simple majority (i.e. 3/3) of members voting in the Club held for this purpose.
NAME AND ADDRESS
The Club shall be called, known and addresses as Arewa Book Club with the Secretariat that may be considered convenient.
MOTTO OF THE CLUB
Books Build Brain
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
- To promote reading culture in the Northern region area of Nigeria.
- To promote writers and their creative writings/literary arts
- To enable children and young readers see the qualitative differences in literature written for them, to identify setting, character, theme, author’s point of view, action and message
- To educate, entertain and inform readers irrespective of age, color, tribe, religion and sex.
- To hold book fairs (inviting publishers to display their titles at reduced prices), and once a year, as a special attraction.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE CLUB
The membership of Arewa Book Club shall comprise any reader duly registered as a member into the Club and who is a financial member by virtue of payment of prescribed dues.
PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERS
Members shall have the right to:
- Use facilities provided by the Club
- Participate in legally convened meeting or social or formal function of the Club
- Vote and be voted for in elections subject to the articles of the Club governing the conduct of election
- Attend and vote at the Club’s general meetings
- Pay the prescribed seasonal dues.
CLUB’S ADVISERS
The Club shall have five staff advisers each drawn from the various field of life and any other field respectively.
PATRONS OF THE CLUB
The patron of the Club shall be:
Any senior members of religious institution, political institution, commercial institution or health sector respectively.
FUNCTION OF THE COORDINATOR
- Shall advise the Secretary to summon the meetings
- Shall preside over all meetings
- Shall have a deciding voting right
- Shall coordinate and harmonize the activities of the Club and its various arms
- Shall have power to refer any act of indiscipline of any members
- Shall represent or delegate to any member of the Society
- Shall be a principal signatory to the club’s account
FUNCTIONS OF THE ASSISTANT COORDINATOR
- Assist the Coordinator in the performance of his/her functions and duties
- Act in the capacity of the Coordinator in the absence of substantive officer
FUNCTIONS OF THE SECRETARY
- Subject to the condition of these rules, the secretary shall record the preceding of meetings of the Club and also prepare and circulate minutes of meetings at least 72 minutes before meeting.
- Shall be responsible for the general secretarial duties of the Club
- Shall summon all statutory meetings of the EXCO and the Coordinator
- Shall at the request of the Coordinator or three executive members summon emergency or other kinds of EXCO meetings.
- Shall record and retain minutes of all meetings of the EXCO
- Shall conduct with the directives of the Coordinator, all correspondence of the Club
- Shall prepare and present reports about the activities of the Club at regular intervals of three months
- Shall annually compile the lit of members of the Club at the end of members’ registration exercise
- And also shall be signatory to the club’s account
FUNCTIONS OF THE FINANCE SECRETARY
- Shall keep all money’s accruing to the Club
- Shall keep financial records of the Club
- Perform any other duties as may be assigned by the Club from time to time
FUNCTION OF INFORMATION SECRETARY
The information secretary of the Society shall:
- Prepare press releases on the activities of the association with the approval of the President
- Be responsible for the proper display and circulation of all the Club’s publicity materials
- Publish the Club’s magazine at least once in a month and also as the Society’s librarian
- Provide, maintain and co-ordinate public opinion
- Perform such other functions as may be assigned from time to time by the general secretary
FUNCTIONS OF THE SOCIAL/WELFARE SECRETARY
The social or welfare secretary shall:
- Coordinate all social activities of the Club
- Be the custodian of all the audio-visual instruments and equipment of the Club
- Maintain a proper inventory of all audio-visual instruments and equipments of the club
- Ensure that all the audio-visual instruments and equipments are properly maintained and kept within the club’s designated store.
EDUCATION SECRETARY
The Education Secretary shall:
- Liaise with educational institutions outside the club’s environment both locally and internationally
- Organize programmes of educational and literary interest
ELECTION
The election shall be held in accordance with the following rules
- Every duly registered member of the club shall have the right to vote and be voted for
- A member shall be eligible to contest for an office if he/she has registered
- A member who is found guilty of any misconduct not worthy of the office shall be disqualified from running for an elective post
- Nomination paper shall be deposited with the Secretary of the electoral committee not less than five working days from the date of an election.
- At least 48 hours before the election date, the electoral committee shall publish the list of candidates qualified to stand for each offices at such places it may deem fit subject to the proper screening of all candidates at the close of nominations
- Each voter shall be entitled to cast only one vote for each office to be filled
- Counting shall be immediately after the close of voting, at the designated voting centre
- The electoral committee shall be constituted by the Patrons
- All contestants shall act in accordance with the guidelines and rules stipulated by the electoral committee from time to time
- Where a candidate or voter has many complaint over the conduct of any election, such a complaint shall be made in writing and communicated to the election committee for adjudication
- The candidate or voter who obtains the largest number of votes for a particular office shall be declared elected to that office. In the event of a clear winner not emerging, a run off election shall be conducted not later than two weeks from the date of the first election.
