AUDSS-CONNECT CONSTITUTION

Section 1: Name

i: The Association shall be known as Ansar Ud Deen Secondary School Connect (hereinafter called "AUDSS- CONNECT")
ii: The Association shall be open to all alumni of Ansar Ud Deen Secondary School. 73, Randle Avenue, Surulere, Lagos.
iii: The address shall be 108, Bornu Way, Alagomeji, Lagos.
iv: The Association shall maintain an emblem and flag by which it shall be recognized.
v: The Association shall have the right to own assets/ properties directly or through a nominee appointed for that purpose.

Section 2: Motto & Logo

2a Motto:

To connect every Alumni (Home & Diaspora) of AUDSS by providing a platform to build camaraderie amongst members and promote a culture of selflessness, value added support, and assistance to members in need.

2b Logo:

i. The Logo of the Association shall be designed and or as may be modified from time to time by its Executive.

ii. The Logo shall be approved by its Executive and approved members.

iii. The logo shall be placed on all documents of the connect project.

iv. The logo shall be the official symbol of the connect project.

Section 3: Constitution

i. The Association shall be operated by this constitution and its provisions shall be binding on its members.
ii. Any rule or directives of any accredited body of the Association, or any regulations of its Executive Committee or sub - committee which run contrary to the provisions of this Constitution shall to the extent of such inconsistencies be null and void and of no effect.
iii. The Association is constituted as a non-profit and non- partisan organization.

Section 4: Objective

i. To connect.
ii. To develop and help maintain active alumni interaction and enhance the image of the Association through self- enrichment and support.
iii. To protect and uphold the good name of the Association.
iv. To promote the spirit of friendship and brotherliness and encourage socialization and close interaction amongst members.
v. To occasionally honor and help our past Teachers whenever the need arises.
vi. To create and support projects deemed necessary.

Section 5: Membership

i. AUDSS CONNECT Membership shall be open to anyone that attended Ansar Ud Deen Secondary School.73, Randle Avenue, Surulere, Lagos.
ii. Such person shall agree to abide by the Constitution of AUDSS CONNECT and the rules and the regulations of its accredited organs.
iii. Members shall be entitled to participate in approved meetings and functions of the Association.
iv. Only Financial Members are entitled to vote and be voted for
v. Only financial members that shall have the right to ask for the Association’s help whenever the need arises subject to the approval of the executives, whose decision itself is subject to the whole house.

5:2 Categories of Membership

i. Active Membership shall be members that are up to date on payment of their Annual dues.
ii. Non-Active Member shall be members that are not up to date in their dues payment thereby are not financial members.
iii. The AUDSS-Connect Chat Platform shall comprise of both active and non-active Members.

5:3 Membership Annual Dues:

i. All AUDSS Connect members shall be required to pay Annual dues or Membership dues as stipulated.
ii. Member shall be required to pay a membership due. The dues shall be paid in a lump sum of six installment payments.
iii. Member(s) must be up to date with his/her monthly or annual dues.
iv. Members in Nigeria & the diaspora must be abreast with his/her Membership Annual Dues, i.e., paid annually.
vi. The Annual Membership dues can be subject to review.
v. Such can only be reviewed either upward or downward, at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) if 2/3 of the dues paying members present at that Meeting vote in favor of the increase or decrease.

5:4 Levies / Donations.

The Operational Hub or the Exco can decide that levies be initiated for projects or donations be initiated or both as they deem fit.

5.5 Dormant Member

i. A Member shall be considered dormant if such member has not had any form of participation in Connect for 12 consecutive months.
ii. Member participation shall be up to and including the following: Platform chat, greetings or acknowledgement of live events on the platform, dues payments, participation in fundraising contributions, use of a member’s time or skills to foster the Connect franchise.
iii. Any dormant members shall be removed from the platform until such a time when such member is able to re-engage in the Connect Franchise.
iv. An alumnus added to the Connect platform shall be required to pay his or her annual within the first three months of the addition to the Connect platform.
v. An alumnus who fail to pay the required annual dues within the first three months of addition to the Connect platform shall be removed from the platform.

Section 6: Admission of Members

i. Must be an alumnus of the alma mater. ii. Must be of reputable behavior and character. iii. Must be introduced to the house by a due paying member. iv. Must have the approval of at least two members of the governing body (Operational Hub). v. Must be vetted by designated Excos and referred to the Operational Hub for final approval. vi. Must be required to review the constitution of the connect project and send a written acceptance note stating understanding and willingness to adhere to the rules and regulations of the group.

Section 7: Right & Duties

i. The right to be on the General Platform hereby referred to as "Connect Platform."
ii. The right to attend our general meetings.
iii. The right to vote and be voted for ONLY applies to Active Members as stipulated in Section 5.2a
iv. The right to freely express himself/ herself during the Connect Meeting and social gathering provided decorum is maintained.
v. The right to ask questions concerning the financial record of the Association as long as you are a financial Active Member.
vi. The right to pay your annual dues / monthly dues.
vii. The right to invite us to function and to attend same
viii. The right to request to join the Operational Hub as long as such a member has read and fully understood the responsibilities of being an Operational Hub Member.

Section 8: The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee hereafter referred to as “EXCO” shall hold a joint meeting annually during “Reunion” and the Executive Committee shall be made up of Operational Hub and 4 Sub Committees.
1. Operational Hub Membership is expandable
2. The Financial Committee
3. Welfare / Disciplinary committee
4. Publicity Team
5. Secretariat Team
6. Social Team
7. Disciplinary Team

8a Operational Hub.

i. The Operational Hub (OH) is the arm responsible for the overall leadership and execution of all projects within the Connect franchise.
ii. The OH shall serve as a tie breaker whenever there is deadlock in exco’s decision making process.
iii. They shall help in developing strategies to generate funds to meet Connects financial obligations.
iv. They shall be de facto members of the Exco.

8a1 Joining the Operational Hub (OH).

i. A Member can decide to join the OH by indicating his or her interest.
ii. The OH primary responsibility shall be to develop the strategic roadmap of the group, develop financial tactics and provide stability to the Connect Project.
iii. A Member may choose to resign from the OH by providing a written letter to the OH stating the reason for the withdrawal.
iv. Member must greet and call members experiencing any life event such as: birthdays, bereavement, marriage, etc….
v. Members shall participate financially whether large or small to connect initiatives.
vi. Member shall invest time, skills, etc…. to ensure the successful running of the connect project.
vii. Underperforming members may be removed at any time regardless of longevity of his/her tenure.
viii. Members shall always maintain the utmost confidentiality.

Addendum to Section 8a1:

I. The majority of the Operational Hub must agree to the nomination by voting.
II. A nominee shall be a due paying member no less than 3 years prior to nomination.
III. A nominee shall be confirmed at the Annual General Meeting.
IV. Members of the operational hub can be removed based on Key performance indicators (KPI) and by the majority votes of members of the operational Hub.
V. The Operational Hub shall be made up of an odd number of members to prevent a situation where there is stalemate in voting.
VI. Admission to the Operational Hub shall be confirmed by majority votes.

8b Financial Committee:

i. The Committee shall be made up of the Financial Comptroller, Signatories to the account if different from 2 other Persons. ii. Shall oversee all the financial dealings of the Connect project. iii. Shall serve as the advisory body to the Operational Hub on financial matters. iv. Shall take the lead in executing financial strategies developed by the Operational Hub. v. Shall conduct reviews of the financial dealings of the Connect project. vi. Shall provide financial report at the Connect quarterly meetings.

8c Welfare

I. The Committee shall be made up of 5 Members.
ii. Shall oversee the welfare of all members. iii. Shall execute all the welfare strategies developed by the Operational Hub. iv. Shall recommend welfare strategies to the Operational Hub. v. Shall serve as the advisory body on welfare matters to the Operational Hub.

8d Publicity Team:

i. The Committee shall be made up of 2 Members. ii. Shall be responsible for all PR (Public Relations) duties of the connect project. iii. Shall be responsible for locating meeting venues. iv. Shall be responsible for communicating quarterly meeting date and time to the house. v. Shall serve as the connect information hub. vi. Shall communicate all life events such as birthdays, funerals, marriages, childbirth, new business, et al. on the platforms. vii. Shall be responsible for communicating meeting agenda on the connect platform. viii. Shall develop all the PR strategies of the connect project. ix. Shall serve as the advisory body to the Operational Hub on PR matters.

8f Secretariat Team:

Secretary General i. Shall be responsible for preparing and communicating meeting minutes on the platforms. ii. Shall oversee two (2) other secretaries who will serve as backup, assistants, and advisers to the Secretary General. iii. Shall serve as one of the leaderships of the connect project. iv. ensure that meetings are effectively organized, and minutes taken. v. Shall maintain effective record and connect project. vi. Shall be responsible for tracking agreed actions from the quarterly meetings and ensuring that they are carried out. vii. Shall provide updates on all agreed action items from prior meetings. viii. Shall be responsible for checking quorum is present at the meeting and declare the meeting open. ix. Shall ensure effective communication, correspondence, and documents.

Addendum Section 8g & 8h:

8g Social Team:

I. Shall be comprised of 6 members.
II. Shall take the lead in planning and organizing all Connect social functions.
III. Shall advise the Operational Hub on social matters.
IV. Shall manage the execution of the refreshments in all Connect social functions such as reunion events, and quarterly meetings.
V. Shall serve as the Connect fun team that recommends fun activities to be explored both on and off the platform.
VI. Shall coordinate refreshments whenever Connect is invited to any functions.
VII. Shall take the lead in fostering the Connect spirit and creating a friendly environment.

8h Disciplinary Team:

I. Shall be made up of 5 members.
II. Shall review and investigate all disciplinary matters referred to the team and report back to the exco-GH.
III. Shall serve as the advisory body to the Operational Hub on disciplinary matters.
IV. Shall be responsible for enforcing and ensuring discipline on all Connect platforms.
These 7 Groups will make up the Exco of the Association and they must all be Active Members of the Connect franchise. (Dues Paying Members)

Section 9: EXCO Nomination & Membership

i. All aspiring candidates vying for Exco positions must be alumni of any set of AUDSS., Randle Ave., Surulere, Lagos.
ii. Candidature of aspiring Excos must be duly screened and certified by two (2) dues-paying referees drawn from the group’s governing council viz-a-viz Operational Hub.
iii. Candidates in Nigeria & in the diaspora must be engaged and have solid understanding of the aims, objectives, and goals of the Connect project.
iv. Candidates must possess requisite leadership aptitude, a strong will for servitude and proven track-record for commitment and loyalty towards the growth and development of the Connect project.
v. Candidates must have been a due paying member for at least a year.
vi. Candidates must have previous cognate experience as an active member of a subcommittee of AUDSS Connect group or any other related group or association.
vii. Candidates must be able to demonstrate leadership -by example with a "can do/will do” disposition, encouraging mutual co-existence and mutual respect amongst committee members and the larger AUDSS Connect family in general.
viii. Candidates must be of proven, unblemished integrity without a history of any form of impropriety(s), abuse, abuse of office, any questionable character, or uncleared criminal record(s).
ix. Candidates must carefully read, understand, agree and be willing to adhere to all terms & conditions of the Connect project.

9a Tenureship

i. Tenureship shall be 2yrs.
ii. The tenures shall be annual or up during the Connect Annual General Meeting (AGM).
iii. Tenureship shall be reviewed at the request of 2/3 of the Excos.
iv. A written tenureship review request shall be sent to the governing body (Operational Hub).
v. The Operational Hub shall provide a response to the request within seven (7) days.
vi. The tenure of an exco may be terminated in the case of gross negligence in the execution of duties, unethical behavior, questionable and inappropriate character.
vii. The Operational Hub shall only terminate the tenure of an exco at the recommendation of the Welfare/Disciplinary Committee

9b EXCO Performance

i. Performance of all Excos-in-office shall be monitored and measured by KPIs; Key Performance Indicators, a widely used management tool.
ii. Shall be required to greet and welcome members in the General House (GH).
iii. Shall be required to post a minimum of two comments in the GH per week.
iv. Shall be required to greet all birthday celebrants.
v. Shall be required to attend the Connect Quarterly Meetings.
vi. Shall be required to attend the Connect Annual General Meeting.
vii. Shall strive to support members events by attending the events when available. Events such as burial ceremony, birthday parties, marriage ceremonies, etc...
viii. Shall be willing to go above and beyond to assist and support the AUDSS-Connect vision and projects.
ix. Shall be required to contact a minimum of three members per month to check on their well-being.
x. Shall be an Ambassador for the AUDSS-Connect Group

1. AUDSS Connect shall adopt a stringent policy of "ZERO TOLERANCE" on under-performance.
2. Excos-in-office who lag on the above mentioned KPIs shall be notified, mentored, and encouraged on the path towards improvement.
3. Additionally, the Operational Hub reserves the right of decision to refer underperforming exco to the disciplinary committee
4. AUDSS-Connect adopts a policy that sets in motion proceedings that may initiate the declaration of "Force Majeure" by the Hub to any wanton member(s) and/or Excos.
5. All aspiring Excos are NOT bound by a compulsion to accept the group's terms and conditions. All members are however advised to carefully read, understand to agree, or decline from the said terms and conditions.
6. All other committees shall be created as needed and shall remain collapsible after the completion of the specified assignment.

9c Misconducts

Misconduct arising from Abuse, Abuse of Office, Misappropriation, Unruliness, Vulgarism, Indecency, and other illegalities.
This applies to all members of the Connect project (EXCOs, floor members & OH).
Addendum to Section 9c:
I. All matters introduced for deliberation on all exco team platforms shall be treated with utmost confidentiality. Failure to comply may lead to disciplinary measures up to and including expulsion.

Section 10: Benefit & Entitlement

I. All active and non-active members are entitled for their function to be announced on the General Platform
ii. Such a member shall send a message or place call to any of the executives who will notify the appropriate officers.
iii. An active member is entitled to the sum of N 20,000.00(Twenty Thousand Naira Only) for the demise of his/her Parents.
iv. An active member is entitled to the sum N 20,000.00(Twenty Thousand Naira Only) in the case of marriage of his biological children and this also applies to active members about to wed.
v. If you invite Connect to a Function within Lagos, intending Members shall go on their own.
vi. If you invite Connect and its outside Lagos Connect shall be responsible for the transportation to such a place to and for.
vii. If it warrants staying the Host will provide suitable accommodation and feed for those invited till, they leave.
viii. Should there be a need beyond this schedule a contribution will be initiated to meet such needs.

Addendum to Section 10: Sub-Sections i, ii, iii, iv, v, vi, vii, viii of the Ansar Ud Deen Secondary School Connect Constitution:

Sub-Section ix
I. All active and non-active members shall be entitled to the support provisions as enshrined in section 10.
ii. Be a due paying member and up to date in the payment of dues.
iii. Must have been a due paying member for a minimum of 6 months.
iv. Active members who are bereaved shall be qualified for the Connect benefit if the bereavement occurs no less than six months after membership.

Section 11: Meetings

1. Quarterly Meeting
2. Annual General Meeting AGM
3. Reunion

11a Quarterly Meeting (QM)

I. The quarterly meeting shall be held once every quarter at the instance of the Operational Hub.
ii. The frequency and nature of the quarterly meeting shall be as follows:
a. Q1: There shall be no meeting.
b. Q2: Shall be held in person and those in diaspora and out of state shall call into to the meeting.
c. Q3: Shall be an EXCO only meeting and it will be done virtually (Online).
d. Q4: Shall be held in person for award and recognition, year-end financial review, and overall operational review.
iii. The agenda for such a meeting shall be decided by OH, and General Secretary.
iv. Notice of the QM shall be Posted on the Connect Platform two weeks to the said QM by the Publicity Team.
v. Every Member who wishes to attend will indicate their intention to attend on the Connect General House platform by thumbing up.
vi. All QMs shall be presided over by the Chairman or a designated chairman.
vii. The quorum for the QM shall be 12 Members either active or non-active Members.
viii. The venue of the QM shall be at the Connect designated location.
ix. The venue may be moved as needed from time to time.

11b. Annual General Meeting (AGM)

i. The AGM shall be held in the month of October to review the performances and activities of the Association in the preceding financial year.
ii. This shall also include our Reunion.
11c. Reunion
i. The Reunion shall be yearly and rotational.
ii. The Reunion will have a Committee for its organization after that period such committee shall be dissolved.
iii. The Committee shall be chosen in January of each Year and shall commence work and all other issues due to the success of the Reunion.
iv. They shall update the General House on plans and activities of the Reunion.

Section 12 Violation of Rules

The appropriate sanctions shall be enforced on members as stipulated by the relevant sections and authorities.

Section 13 Dissolution

i. Where a member or members perceive the need for the dissolution of the Association, notice shall be given to the Executive Committee and the Operational Hub shall convene a Special General Meeting to consider the proposal.
ii. Where a quorum is formed and the proposal is supported by 2/3 the majority of all the dues paying members as at the last payment list present, shall stand dissolved.

Section 14 Amendment 

i. No amendments or alterations shall be made to this constitution unless with the consent of 2/3 Members present at the Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting convened for that purpose of which quorum is formed.
ii. The intention to make such amendments or alterations must be made in writing to the Executive Committee ONLY by a Dues Paying Member before any such proposal is submitted at the Annual or Special General Meeting
iii: Whereby an amendment is initiated by a due paying member. The proposal shall be sent to the OH. The OH will set up a special constitution amendment committee to review the amendment. The committee shall present the reviewed constitution to the OH for endorsement.
vi. Only a due paying member can initiate an amendment.

Section 15

Without prejudice to the interpretation of the words and phrases used in this constitution, any question as to the meaning of any sections or clause in this constitution shall be referred to the Operational Hub (OH) who shall act through the advice of the Association Legal Adviser.

Signed this……. day of……….2021

For: Operational Hub. Secretary General.