SECTION 1: NAME
The name of the Association is IGBO GLOBAL NETWORK

SECTION 2: ADDRESS
The addresses of the Association are :
2695 Post Dr 149 Jacksonville, Florida 32204 USA, Igbo global network.com and Igbo global network.org

SECTION 3: AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

 THE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION ARE:

• TO MOBILIZE AND BRING PEOPLE FROM THE IGBO ETHNIC NATION TOGETHER SO THAT THEY CAN  USE THEIR INNATE ABILITIES TO HELP THEMSELVES, REGAIN THEIR DIGNITY, AND INFLUENCE THEIR WORLD;
• TO ENHANCE AND ADVANCE THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS, DEMOCRATIC, SOCIAL-CULTURAL, AND DEVELOPMENTAL ETHICS, NORMS, AND VALUES;
• TO COOPERATE WITH OTHER BODIES AND ASSOCIATIONS IN MATTERS THAT ARE OF MUTUAL INTEREST AND BENEFIT TO THE PEOPLE OF THE IGBO ETHNIC NATION;

• TO RECOGNISE AND BRING WILLING OFFSPRING OF PEOPLE FROM IGBO ETHNIC NATIONS WHO WERE DERACINATED DURING THE TRANS-ATLANTIC SLAVE KIDNAPPING INTO THE ASSOCIATION SO THAT WE ALL CAN WORK TOGETHER AS ONE PEOPLE FOR OUR COLLECTIVE ADVANCEMENT.

SECTION 4: THE OFFICES IN THE ASSOCIATION ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Chairman/Chairwoman
• Deputy Chairman/Chairwoman
• Legal director
• Secretary
• Press secretary
• Financial Secretary/Treasurer

SEC. 4 (1) (a) The Chairman shall preside over the affairs of the Association, be the sole convener of any meetings and gatherings of the Association, and take reasonable and rational measures to enhance and maintain peace and harmony in the Association.

(b) He or she shall exercise discretion in making decisions to further the aims and objectives of the Association or assign such decision to any other officer or member of the Association.

(c) The Chairman may appoint a committee or committees to oversee any specific task(s) which shall be confined within a specific time frame and terms of reference whenever he or she deems it fit to further the aims and objectives of the Association; or entrench the social culture and values of IGBO ETHNIC NATION.

(d) While presiding during meetings or any gathering,  the Chairman shall consistently endeavor to create the enabling atmosphere that will enhance procedural and substantive equality irrespective of gender, clan, geographical location, perceived material acquisition, social usefulness, and language of communication of the members.

(e) He or she shall consistently strive to create an enabling atmosphere for members to vent out their grievances and make contributions during meetings in an orderly and respectful manner.

(f) The tenure of the Chairman and other officers of the Association will cease to run in line with the determination of the term limit that will be made in the final Constitution.

SEC.4 (2) (a): The Deputy Chairman or Chairwoman shall deputize the Chairman, act in his or her prior notified absence in any meetings, or gatherings, and carry out any duties(s) assigned to him or her by the Chairman or Chairwoman.

SEC.4 (3) (a): The Legal Director shall advise the officers and members of the Association on legal matters, proffer sound legal advice at all times, and take preemptive legal steps to stop illegal and non-normative conducts and actions to protect and promote the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association.

SEC.4 (4) (a): The Secretary shall consistently ensure the safe keeping of records of meetings or gatherings as convened by the Chairman and the smooth running of the administrative affairs of the Association as directed by the Chairman or Chairwoman through policy directives.

SEC.4(5)(a): The Press Secretary shall drive the public relations policies and framing of the discourse of the Association as collectively determined by the officials or the Chairman to further the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association.

SEC. 4(6)(a): The Financial Secretary shall take records of all the financial interests and transactions of the Association.

(b) The Financial Secretary shall engage or inquire about any natural and juristic person that has any financial relationship with the Association whenever he or she deems it fit to do so in line with the provisions of SEC.4(6)(a).

(c) The Financial Secretary shall be accountable to the Association and perform his or her financial assignments on behalf of the Association with a reasonable sense of care and accountability in the light of values that underlines the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association.

SECTION 5: SEAL, LOGO, AND INSIGNIA OF THE ASSOCIATION 

(1) The seal, logo, and symbol of the Association in its present format shall be preserved at all times by all the members.

(2) No member of the Association shall use or pass off the seal, logo, and any insignia of the Association for personal purposes or any other purposes more so, to undermine the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association.

(3) Passing off the seal, logo, and insignia or any other form of misrepresentation of of aforementioned that belongs to the  IGBO GLOBAL NETWORK constitutes a serious affront to the AIMS AND OBJECTIVES of the Association which shall attract summary dismissal from the Association.

(4)  Such member as envisaged in SEC.5(3) shall be allowed to appear before any committee constituted by the Chairman as stipulated in SEC.4(1)(c) to have a fair hearing and final determination in line with SEC.5(3).

SECTION 6: MEMBERSHIP OF THE ASSOCIATION 

• Membership in the Association is voluntary and confined to people from the IGBO ETHNIC NATION.

• Every member of the Association shall willingly, donate their acquired or inherent skills to advance the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association.

• Members shall not engage in any usurpation of positions or responsibilities not assigned to them by the official designated by the Constitution to do so.

• When a member is assigned any responsibility or position to perform any task for the Association, as envisaged in SEC.6(3), such member is deemed to be acting as the agent of the Association as directed by the assigning official.

• Such a member as contemplated in SEC.6(4) cannot act outside such defined mandate, misrepresent facts contained in it, or indulge in acts that question their fiduciary responsibility to the Association by using such avenue to further personal and any other external interests.

• Any act or conduct of any member that falls within the provisions of SEC.6(5) is a serious  affront to the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association which shall attract the provision of SEC.5(3) after exhausting the provisions of SEC.5(4)

• Where such member(s) have taken steps after such affront to frustrate the applications of SEC.5(3) and (4), the Chairman shall be deemed to have exhausted the provisions of SEC.5 (4) and therefore, can apply the express provision of SEC.5(3) to protect the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association from being vividly ridiculed, embarrassed, and undermined by such errant member(s).

• Any member that willfully partake in acts of conduct that undermine the harmony of the Association and its AIMS and Objectives in any way or manner that is not within the ambit of SEC.6(5)  or other related sections shall be sanctioned as determined by public policy.

SECTION 7: BOARD OF TRUSTEES

• The Trustee of IGBO GLOBAL NETWORK  shall be constituted of three members who shall be nominated by the Chairman after due consultation with other officials.

• Trustees may hold office for the duration of time that will determined by the final Constitution unless; It is terminated by death, conviction, and imprisonment by a court of competent jurisdiction,  and insanity.

• In such circumstances as envisaged in SEC.7( 2), the Chairman shall replace such a Trustee after due consultation with members of the Association or officials of the Association.

 SECTION 8:  CODE OF CONDUCTS 

• Members shall engage with one another during meetings and gatherings with uttermost respect and cordiality. Gender equality shall be maintained at all times and any form of gender-based violence or harassment is an affront to the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association.

• Gender equality is paramount. In furtherance of this right, whenever a member lodges a complaint that is based on Sexual harassment or Gender-based violence against another member, such complaint shall be investigated and the complainant shall furnish the investigator or committee so appointed, with evidence that will assist them to make their findings.

• Members shall speak during meetings and gatherings whenever such a member is authorized to do so by the official responsible for such authorization.

• Members shall not insult one another because of their perspectives over discussion and issues,  or input negative value judgment into another member’s contribution to any discussion or discourse. Robust conversation among members shall consistently be the hallmark of IGN.

• Members have the right to complain about another member’s conduct or action towards them or if they are dissatisfied over any issues that can negatively affect the harmonious relationship in the Association and its overall AIMS and OBJECTIVES.

• Any member that lodges a complaint that can result in irreparable harm to the reputation of the  Association or the intrinsic worth of any member of the Association must furnish the official or committee responsible with relevant evidence and avail themselves of any inquiry to uncover the fact.

• The official or committee responsible for adjudicating or mediating over such complaints shall be appointed by the Chairman in line with SEC.4(1)(C).

• If the Chairman is cited as a defendant in the complaint, the Deputy Chairman will be deemed to be the Chairman for that specific purpose and if both are cited, the remaining officials shall select a committee among themselves to deal with the complaint.

• If the complaint is found to be baseless or the complainant fails to provide evidence to support it, such will constitute a rebuttable presumption of deliberate peddling of lies against the person so accused. Evidence will determined by general basic rules of evidence as determined by the Legal Director.

• In such a situation as envisaged in SEC.7(8), such complainant shall be suspended from the Association pending the delivery of his or her written apology addressed to the Secretary of the Association and the falsely accused member or members respectively.

• Members shall make a willing donation which will solely be used to run the affairs of the Association if the need arises.

SECTION 9: INTERPRETATION  OF THE CONSTITUTION 

The constitution shall be interpreted in the light of the AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the Association and the underlying purpose of achieving them and   If there is any collectively determined ambiguity, the Convenor as advised by the Legal Director shall clarify by proffering the best interpretation that suits the particular concrete situation.

• This Constitution as adopted by members of the Association is Supreme therefore, it will guide all the affairs, conduct and transactions of the members of the Association pending the drafting and ratification of the final Constitution.

• For interpretation of this Constitution,  SEC. means Section, while  Convenor means the  CONVENOR of IGBO GLOBAL NETWORK CHIEF TONY NWISI.