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Bylaws of Urhobo Historical Society

ARTICLE I -- NAME, PURPOSE
Section  1
 The name of the organization shall be Urhobo Historical Society (UHS), hereinafter also called the Society or UHS.
Section 2
 Inaugurated on August 29, 1999, in New York City, USA, the dominant rationale for the structures and operations of Urhobo Historical Society is to serve and promote Urhobo history and culture. Urhobo is the largest ethnic nationality in Nigeria’s Western Niger Delta. Its history and culture are intertwined with those of its ethnic neighbors in this region. Urhobo’s destiny is also being shaped by environmental problems that confront the entirety of the Niger Delta. In serving Urhobo history and culture, therefore, Urhobo Historical Society's efforts shall include studying and analyzing Urhobo’s relationships with its neighbors and also studying and analyzing the environmental problems of the Niger Delta.

Our purposes have been shaped by such rationale, as follows:

Urhobo Historical  Society shall use its resources (especially its two web sites http://www.waado.org/Contents.html  and http://www.urhobo.kinsfolk.com/) to study and promote all aspects of Urhobo history and culture, including:

  • probing the history and experiences of the Urhobo during British colonial rule in Nigeria;
  • studying the inter-ethnic relations of the Western Niger Delta in order to understand the place and role of Urhobos in the history of the region and in order to find ways of enhancing good relations among the ethnic nationalities of the region;
  • offering a variety of perspectives and publications on petroleum oil exploration in the Niger Delta and the consequent environmental degradation of its lands; and
  • serving the needs of other Urhobo organizations that are engaged in specialized aspects of Urhobo culture but lack the resources to promote their activities on the world wide web.

ARTICLE II -- MEMBERSHIP

Section 1
 Membership shall be open to any person of Urhobo origin who is interested in studying and learning about Urhobo history and culture, who supports the statement of purpose in Article I Section 2, and who pays the prescribed annual membership fees. Membership shall also be open to non-Urhobos who are interested in studying and learning about Urhobo history and culture, who support the statement of purpose in Article I Section 2, and who pay the prescribed annual membership fees.
Section 2
 There shall be two categories of membership. (a) Regular members shall pay annual fees of $50.00 per member. (b) Charter members shall pay $200.00 or more (at their option) in the first year of membership and shall pay annual dues at the regular amount of $50.00 or more (at their option)  in subsequent years of membership.

ARTICLE III -- ANNUAL CONFERENCE AND GENERAL MEETING

Section 1
 Urhobo Historical Society shall conduct Annual Conferences and General Meetings that provide the yearly media and platforms for organizing the Society's activities and for enacting and reviewing its policies by:
  • bringing together intellectuals and scholars, both Urhobos and others, who are interested in advancing the study of Urhobo history and culture, and
  • providing the occasion for its Annual General Meetings at which its members, exercising the Society's supreme authority, approve policies, ratify the actions of the Editorial and Management Committee [EMC], and give the EMC directions for the future.
Section 2
 The date of the Annual Conference and General Meeting shall be in the first weekend of November or any other date that the Annual General Meeting approves. The venue of the Annual Conference and General Meeting shall be decided by the Annual General Meeting of the previous year.

ARTICLE IV -- EDITORIAL POLICY
Section 1
 The supreme aim of Urhobo Historical Society shall be creating a movement that will promote the preservation of historical records and the writing of diverse historical experiences among the Urhobo. Unlike some of their neighbors, the Urhobo do not record their histories in terms of the reigns and achievements of kings. The Urhobo story is ultimately a record of multiplex achievements involving ordinary people who have risen to make differences in the lives of their communities. 

Recording such a history is a much greater undertaking than that involved in chronicling the glories of kings and the great deeds of aristocratic families that we have inherited from the manners of imperial historiography. Imitation of such alien European imperial methods of history-writing has led to the diminution of the significance attached to achievements by ordinary individuals in traditional historiography in several African societies. To avoid such pitfalls, the methodology of Urhobo history shall be a more decentralized undertaking. UHS shall accordingly seek to involve all grades of people in telling and recording the Urhobo historical experience. It is a story that sometimes picks up local hues reflecting the twenty-two subcultures of Urhoboland. UHS will honor those who have shaped such local communities along with others who, like the great Mukoro Mowoe, have had a pan-Urhobo impact.                                                                                                                           

Section 2
 Editor.  There shall be an editor of the Society's web sites. The editor shall be appointed by the Annual General Meeting and shall be responsible to the Editorial and Management Committee for the operations and management of the web sites.

ARTICLE V -- EDITORIAL AND MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Section 1
 Role, Size, Composition.  The Editorial and Management Committee (EMC) shall be  responsible for  the day-to-day management and operations of the affairs of Urhobo Historical Society and shall be accountable to the Annual General Meeting.  EMC shall have up to fifteen, and no fewer than ten, members.
Section 2
 Meetings. EMC shall hold teleconference meetings at least once a quarter. A quorum of at least forty percent of EMC members must be present before business can be transacted or motions made or passed.
Section 3
 Terms. Members of the Editorial and Management Committee may serve for a term of three years and shall be eligible for re-election to serve other terms, without restriction.
Section 4
 Elections.  Members of the Editorial and Management Committee shall be elected by a plurality of  the Annual General Meeting. The Annual General Meeting has the authority to delegate elections of the members to the Editorial and Management Committee.
Section 5
 Officers and Duties.  There shall be four officers of the EMC consisting of a Chair, a Deputy-Chair,  Secretary, and Treasurer.  The officers shall be elected by the EMC at the first meeting of the EMC following its composition. The officers shall serve for a renewable term of three years.  Their duties are as follows:

The Chair shall convene regularly scheduled EMC meetings and shall preside, or arrange for other members of the EMC to preside, at each meeting.

The Deputy-Chair will chair committees on special subjects as designated by the EMC and shall  preside at EMC meetings  whenever the Chair is absent.

The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping records of EMC actions, including overseeing the taking of minutes at all its meetings, sending out meeting announcements, distributing copies of minutes and the agenda to each EMC member, and assuring that corporate records are maintained.

The Treasurer shall make a report at EMC meetings.  Treasurer shall assist in the preparation of the budget, help develop fundraising plans, and make financial information available to EMC members and the public.

ARTICLE VI -- AMENDMENT

Section 1
 These Bylaws may be amended when necessary by a two-thirds majority of the Editorial and Management Committee, subject to ratification by the Annual General Meeting.  Proposed amendments must be submitted to the Secretary for distribution to all EMC members at least two weeks before the date on which the votes to approve or reject them are to be taken..

ARTICLE VII -- DISSOLUTION

Section 1
 Urhobo Historical Society exists to study and propagate the history and culture of a major ethnic nationality in Nigeria's Niger Delta. It therefore expects to be in existence for a long time. However, in the unlikely event of its dissolution, its assets shall be handled as prescribed by the dissolution clause of its certificate of incorporation, as follows: "Upon the dissolution of the corporation, the Board of Trustees shall, after paying or making provisions for the payment of the liabilities of the corporation, dispose of all the assets of the corporation exclusively for the purposes of the corporation in such manner, or to such organization or organizations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational, religious, or scientific purposes as shall at the time qualify as exempt organization or organizations under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Law), as the Board of Trustees shall determine. Any assests not so disposed of shall be disposed of by the Court of Common Pleas of the county in which the principal office of the corporation is then located, exclusively for such purposes or to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, which are organized exclusively for such purposes."

Approved by Annual General Meeting of Urhobo Historical Society, which held on November 2, 2003.

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