Nairaland Forum

Onlytruth: My proposal in continuation of a Section of Article 2 which deals with affiliations of the movement.

(a) The Movement should actively seek and maintain a constant liaison with ALL Igbo groups starting with youth organizations, to cultural, educational, and religious groups.

(b) The Movement should develop and maintain constant communication with all elected persons in the East.

(c) The Movement should develop and maintain constant synergy with ALL political groups in the East.

(d) The Movement should in the long run develop and maintain political rapport and rapprochement with ALL progressive groups in Nigeria.

(e) The Movement should develop and maintain working relationships with various international agencies for development,transparency, legal defence/representation, and human rights.


We can add a provision to develop this list as we go.

The most important nature of this movement is that it should be a slow moving FREIGHT TRAIN that is unstoppable when in full speed. The momentum should be able to crush any obstacle.

Eze Onlytruth, thanks for your input. We need some more inputs and someone to fuse all inputs into one document.

My people, this section of the constitution deals with how much power you are conceding to your leaders. It is all about checks and ballances and dictatorship is usually nipped in the bud at this stage. You will get what you are given if you don't contribute now; although I think that contributors have been fair so far. Once we close this chapter, we will have to go through a long process to amend it.

For the avoidance of doubt, the following sections have been suggested/agreed as Aims and Objective (Article 2), and Patron, Power, Scope and Limitation of the movement (Article 3), subject to ratification by the cabinet. We are making progress


2.0 Article 2: Aim and Objective

2.1 The mission of ENYI shall be to bequeath a progressive and roundly developed Eastern Nigeria to the next generation.


2.2 The Objective of ENYI includes but not limited to:

2.2.1 To act as a lobby group by pushing and applying subtle pressure for economic reforms with a view to pursuing economic revival and infrastructural development in the states of the former Eastern region of Nigeria.

2.2.2 To revive the Igbo language and culture as well as defeat other forms of social ills by challenging retrogressive attitudes that amplify the primacy of wealth-acquisition over sound traditional moral values, while celebrating positive role models.

2.2.3 To make endorsements depending on the political paradigm of the day while retaining our neutrality, non-affiliation and our principle of bringing pressure on misguided political decisions or political office holders.

2.2.4 To help people at the grassroots to become interested and decisive in the choices they make during elections.
2.2.5 To enforce mores and accountability in governance by holding local and national politicians accountable by the use of such tools as the FOI bill etc.

2.2.6 To ensure that the rights to life, freedom of movement and dignity, of the peoples of the East are upheld, and where there is any suggestion that those rights are being abused, to ensure that the responsible person or persons do not escape justice.

2.3 Affiliations of the movement

(i) The Movement should actively seek and maintain a constant liaison with ALL Igbo groups starting with youth organizations, to cultural, educational, and religious groups.

(ii) The Movement should develop and maintain constant communication with all elected persons in the East.

(iii) The Movement should develop and maintain constant synergy with ALL political groups in the East.

(iv) The Movement should in the long run develop and maintain political rapport and rapprochement with ALL progressive groups in Nigeria.

(v) The Movement should develop and maintain working relationships with various international agencies for development, transparency, legal defence/representation, and human rights


3.0 Article 3: Patrons, Power, Scope and Limitation of the Association

3.0.1 The Eze is the number one Patron and figure head. The Eze can only be elected through a free and fair election arranged by the electoral committee. The tenure of the Eze shall be for one year only, but renewable via elections. All elections must be held and concluded at least two (2) months before the end of the tenure.

3.0.2 Patrons, also to be known as Ndi Nze na Ozo shall be nominated and elected once only; the only exception being the selection of no more than three patrons by the pioneer Eze. Subsequently, each new Eze will become a patron automatically and the de facto leader of all patrons, but will not be able to appoint or remove patrons unilaterally.

3.0.3 Patrons must be people who believe that all human beings were born and created equal. Therefore, a person shall be barred for life from becoming a patron or a representative if that person had at anytime suggested, insinuated or advocated that any part of Igbo land is superior to any other part of Igbo land or used derogatory terms to refer to other nationalities that constitute Igbo land.

3.0.4. Removal of Patrons

Patrons can only be removed or suspended via due process as follows:

i. Complaints raised by any member of the movement.

ii. Investigation and recommendation by committee set up by other Patrons

iii. Action taken through a vote of simple majority by patrons and a deciding vote by Eze where there is a tie.

iv. The decision (refer to iii) can be appealed by the complainants or patron

v. The Eze can only unilaterally uphold the decision and will need 2/3 of the total votes of the patrons and council members to upturn any decision. Such votes will only be valid if 75% of all patrons and council members cast their votes.

vi. The Eze selects his council members and may select from any member of the movement including the patrons. Council members must be made known to the members and 51% member objection shall nullify such selection.

3.0.5. Powers of Patrons

i. Patrons have the powers to set up committees for different projects and investigations.

ii. In the absence of elected assemblies, the patrons have the rights to make major decisions on behalf of members only after consultations with members.

iii. Powers to draft proposals and endorsements on behalf of members.

iv. Powers to create a platform towards electing representatives when the need arises. The need is determined by the advancement of the movement and level of calls by members for such.

v. Powers to start investigations on serious allegations against the Eze, in which case the Eze will not chair or assemble the panel of investigation.

vi. Powers to sanction the Eze following investigations. 75% vote by patrons is needed for such sanction. The Eze has the right of appeal and a public vote will be required for his removal or sanction, should the Eze chose to appeal. A simple majority vote of not less than 75% of members is required to ratify the Eze’s removal following his appeal.

vii. …..
viii. …..
ix. ……

x. The patrons are expected to spearhead the achievement of the objectives of the association and shall be dissolved if a 75% vote of no confidence is passed by members.

xi. The patrons and Eze shall not be able to alter any part of the constitution without consultations, similar to the writing of the original constitution.

Vii, Viii and ix have been left blank on purpose and all amendments must refer to the original documents. Additions may assume any of the vacant spaces and must be contained in articles of amendments. Articles of amendments can only be produced following a process similar to the writing of the original constitution. There will be no need to follow this process following the formation of assembly and election of representatives.

3.0.6 Scope and limitations of the association

i. The association must work within the law at all times. The association is non-violent and shall use non-violent means to achieve its objectives.

ii. The scope of the association must not be at odds with the objectives. The scope is dependent on the objectives and the objectives are subject to expansion as ratified by members.

iii. The organisation shall not give blind support to any political party or actively promote any single party without strong concessions from the party. Political supports and endorsements are dependent on the political paradigm of the day and will be subservient to Eastern Nigeria Interests and mutual interests based on concessions from our allies.

iv. Communication and association must be established through registration and free subscription to the news letter. Very important discussions to be carried out via news letter and publications of consensus delivered on Nairaland or any other forum that we have membership base.




Let's take so time to analyze the articles.
The next Article will deal with Membership and Eligibility

Nice one, pointB.

afam4eva: Nice one, pointB.

Thank you my brother.

Let's hope we get more comments before we move on to the next phase.

Thank you PointB for putting it together so neatly. We are progressing!

We are now getting to the "meat" of the sandwich.

Once we carve this Section well, it is downhill from here.
We shall do our best to design this Section in such a way as would make it impossible for anyone with ill-will toward the development and progress of the East to access membership. We may find that the "how" (criteria for selection/invitation to membership) may trump the need for all other membership considerations. We may also decide not to make such exercise an open one because there are always enemies (both within and outside our region) lurking around to enervate the effort.

Umunna jisie nu ike! I wish us God's speed!

Onlytruth: Thank you PointB for putting it together so neatly. We are progressing!

We are now getting to the "meat" of the sandwich.

Once we carve this Section well, it is downhill from here.
We shall do our best to design this Section in such a way as would make it impossible for anyone with ill-will toward the development and progress of the East to access membership. We may find that the "how" (criteria for selection/invitation to membership) may trump the need for all other membership considerations. We may also decide not to make such exercise an open one because there are always enemies (both within and outside our region) lurking around to enervate the effort.

Umunna jisie nu ike! I wish us God's speed!

Thank you for thanking me, Eze.

At this point, I am convinced that further comments on the Articles 1-3 are reserved for later by participant of this August conference. We shall now step into Article 4: Membership and Eligibility, and Responsibility

Eze OnlyTruth has already given an inkling into what the membership should look like.

We should all have our say on the nature of membership, the fledgling movement should have.

In general, we should consider questions such as: -

Who qualifies to be a member?
Who qualifies to continue being a members?
On what account should an individual be disqualify?
What are the roles and responsibilities expected of ENYI members - to the movement, to the people of Eastern Nigeria?

Let's continue with this onerous task of creating a people's oriented constitution.


Article 4: Membership and Eligibility, and Responsibility

Let's go there...

Yes o! And be real "SOPHISTICATED" lol! orderwise the vultures who vowed to tear us apart in and outside our land whether dead or alive could dive in, so we have to be ceaselessly staying focused and be very careful and also watchful of them and their agents.

Onlytruth: Thank you PointB for putting it together so neatly. We are progressing!

We are now getting to the "meat" of the sandwich.

Once we carve this Section well, it is downhill from here.
We shall do our best to design this Section in such a way as would make it impossible for anyone with ill-will toward the development and progress of the East to access membership. We may find that the "how" (criteria for selection/invitation to membership) may trump the need for all other membership considerations. We may also decide not to make such exercise an open one because there are always enemies (both within and outside our region) lurking around to enervate the effort.

Umunna jisie nu ike! I wish us God's speed!

I think membership is going to be a tricky one because this is an online forum. But a way to get the serious from the non-serious might be charging a fee. This might have a downside as people gravitate more to free stuffs… What do you guys think of a membership fee? And how can we verify who people are? Would people be willing to give out their credit card numbers? Any perks that the membership fee can be used for? …

Oh I got another idea for knowing those serious about this… perhaps filling an application form and having each person say why they want to become a member and ways they could possibly help the group can do it… also signing an agreement not to break the constitution or laws/rights etc of humanity and eNYI or something like that … that might not be perfect too, so maybe we should have a code of conduct too…again, i'm just throwing out ideas.This area is not my forte lol.

its not easy coming up with constitutions etc… I personally find them boring, but its important and we have to do it as the bedrock of our group… unu adala mba; lets keep it up, keep it moving, step by step, we'll get there - a better, fruitful, hopeful alaigbo.
nma nma nu.

and i thought i posted something earlier... butdo all (or most Igbos) on NL arware of this promising initiative... methinks we shouls have a towncrier that'll let 'em know ... that there is a dire need to get together as one ... to get together and change our land.

I think that being an organisation that hopes to reach the 'grassroots' and also work with students, some of whom are often very poor and hardly able to feed themselves!, there should, without doubt, be a category of membership that is non-paying. But because it is also a Voluntary Sector Organisation that will have to spend money for 'logistics' there's also need for 'paying' membership. It is indeed a fact of life that there will be some 'serious-minded' people with great ideas and motivation, who may not be able to afford any membership fees!



So, being mindful of the above scenarios, it would be reasonable to have different categories of membership, which are either paying or non-paying members, each with their own responsibilities/privileges etc. I therefore suggest the following categories of memberships:





i) Founding/Honorary Membership




ii) Individual Membership




iii) Organisational membership




iv) Student membership




v) Affiliateship

remark D: I think membership is going to be a tricky one because this is an online forum. But a way to get the serious from the non-serious might be charging a fee. This might have a downside as people gravitate more to free stuffs… What do you guys think of a membership fee? And how can we verify who people are? Would people be willing to give out their credit card numbers? Any perks that the membership fee can be used for? …

Oh I got another idea for knowing those serious about this… perhaps filling an application form and having each person say why they want to become a member and ways they could possibly help the group can do it… also signing an agreement not to break the constitution or laws/rights etc of humanity and eNYI or something like that … that might not be perfect too, so maybe we should have a code of conduct too…again, i'm just throwing out ideas.This area is not my forte lol.

its not easy coming up with constitutions etc… I personally find them boring, but its important and we have to do it as the bedrock of our group… unu adala mba; lets keep it up, keep it moving, step by step, we'll get there - a better, fruitful, hopeful alaigbo.
nma nma nu.

I think we need to expunge the idea of paid membership from this movement. It's not a political party and therefore involving money might make it seem like one. We have to open our doors to as many people as possible. Infact, every Igbo man and woman should be welcomes with open arms.

Beneli has offered interesting proposition of stratification of membership, while noting Afam's opposition to the idea of 'paying' membership, I'd like to asked Beneli to put some flesh on the strata of membership he proposed.

@Afam,
indeed every Igbo man and woman are enjoined to join the group. And if the group is going to remain online, and anonymous, there certainly will be no need to even suggest members should pay.

However, if and when the movement goes offline and set up physical structures and offices, certainly some cost will be involved - either voluntary donation or otherwise. Without funding, the reach and effectiveness of the movement will certainly be curtailed. Then again funding, either by dues or donations, demands accountability and transparency. This surely will be discuss and established before anyone will be asked to part with funds. However, let's not rule out the possibility that a time will come when members of ENYI will be asked to 'put their money where their mouth is.'. Nothing good comes easy!

PointB: Beneli has offered interesting proposition of stratification of membership, while noting Afam's opposition to the idea of 'paying' membership, I'd like to asked Beneli to put some flesh on the strata of membership he proposed.

@Afam,
indeed every Igbo man and woman are enjoined to join the group. And if the group is going to remain online, and anonymous, there certainly will be no need to even suggest members should pay.

However, if and when the movement goes offline and set up physical structures and offices, certainly some cost will be involved - either voluntary donation or otherwise. Without funding, the reach and effectiveness of the movement will certainly be curtailed. Then again funding, either by dues or donations, demands accountability and transparency. This surely will be discuss and established before anyone will be asked to part with funds. However, let's not rule out the possibility that a time will come when members of ENYI will be asked to 'put their money where their mouth is.'. Nothing good comes easy!

I understand you perfectly. But we may have to discuss how to source for funds because i hate anything that involves money. With money, some very wealthy people who want to project their personal interest may hijack this group. Anyways, let's see how it plays out.

I'm back to make my own contribution.

Okay here is what I'm thinking for now. Later we shall assemble all these thoughts and document them as part of this document.

Others (PointB and Beneli) have already hit the target by stating that the membership should be as broad as possible. We should invite membership from EVERY individual/ group in the East of River Niger + Anioma. We do not have immediate plans for paid membership until we launch offline. The thinking process that goes into the founding is very important. That process will be two-folds: (1) an honest study of history and geography of Eastern Nigeria; (2) a visioning/prognostication of the future, guided resolutely by the past. Both shall be done dispassionately and in COMPLETE HONESTY, not in revisionism or emotions.

For example, no matter how long or how passionately anyone wants it or denies it, Uyo in Akwa Ibom state is closer to Aba in Abia state than to Benin or Warri. So it would be st.upid for anyone to build a deep sea infrastructure in Ibaka without thinking seriously about how to link it to Aba. Both cities gain from such linkage. The Asaba airport (which I hope should become international soon) should serve Onitsha, and Onitsha should serve Asaba commercial needs. The point is that the economic revival of the East can only happen in COMPLETE honesty and nothing else. That is why the membership of this movement will target honest people rather than just anyone; even if the dishonest ones outnumber the honest ones, lessons of life proves over and over that dishonesty never endures longer than honesty.

This movement was deliberately designed to target the youths because they tend not to remember too much [/b]of the past, and in the process pollute the future. Younger folks have more confidence to master the future. That is why we are aiming to reclaim the future.
So, our membership is not expected to [b]attract everyone at this stage. ALL IS INVITED OF COURSE, BUT FEW MAY BE ACCEPTED (to address Afam4eva's fears about some ignoble folks hijacking the movement).

When we must have surmounted all inertia and retrogressive forces who would certainly want to pull this down, our membership is sure to turn from a trickle to a deluge. So, let us target all those who want to see a democratic, modern and progressing Eastern Nigeria. Our future is founded on truth and we shall overcome to create an unstoppable movement.

BTW I endorse Beneli's membership structure

The main thing for everyone to bear in mind is that this movement will be HUGE and cover a whole lot of areas and interests in the East. As we develop it, we shall form wings and parts within the movement which focus on parts of the East in order to maintain our grassroots penetration strategy. The structure of the movement should make this possible so that ours will be a bottom-up movement in the main rather than a top-down one.
Each part or wing will permeate each part to be defined (it could be state, or local government area or town or even clan, we shall make that decision later). We should design our founding constitution to make all these possible as we develop and expand. As we all know, all politics is local; so local folks will lead local actions.

We are mere figure heads.

As I stated earlier, the council may have to complete this process in camera. We are the pioneer leaders of this movement. Future leaders will work with this constitution or amend it as they see fit.

At this stage, I want to appeal to our people to be very smart and have a sound mind towards this process.
We are obviously mindful of the fact that our ideas here are being stolen copied and replicated in adulterated forms by some organizations already existing. I personally noticed that one organization basically lifted MY idea about a PARTICULAR STRATEGY and implemented it without any modification whatsoever (I'm ok with that BTW), and of course we were not credited with that idea (not that I expected it, lol). How did I know that it was my idea? Because I know the leader of the group personally and he picks my mind quite often. So, he comes here, reads my stuff and implements it in HIS organization.
Why am I saying this? I'm saying it because when the final document is produced, a lot of stuff may not be expressed verbose. Our leadership in the future would have to be "initiated" into the idea behind some of our choice of words in the document. Most great movements do just that. So I crave your indulgence!

PointB: Beneli has offered interesting proposition of stratification of membership, while noting Afam's opposition to the idea of 'paying' membership, I'd like to asked Beneli to put some flesh on the strata of membership he proposed.

@Afam,
indeed every Igbo man and woman are enjoined to join the group. And if the group is going to remain online, and anonymous, there certainly will be no need to even suggest members should pay.

However, if and when the movement goes offline and set up physical structures and offices, certainly some cost will be involved - either voluntary donation or otherwise. Without funding, the reach and effectiveness of the movement will certainly be curtailed. Then again funding, either by dues or donations, demands accountability and transparency. This surely will be discuss and established before anyone will be asked to part with funds. However, let's not rule out the possibility that a time will come when members of ENYI will be asked to 'put their money where their mouth is.'. Nothing good comes easy!

This is just an evolving idea. Umu nna should help flesh it out a bit more . . .

So the categories could include the following:

i) Founding Membership – Eze OnlyTruth and council. This would probably also include other individuals that are here from the very beginning. It would be subject to Eze and council’s approval… Some of the Founding members have already started to contribute time and money, so probably may not have to pay a defined membership fee; however I suspect that a lot of them would be happy to donate when necessary, to help the organisation during its teething period. The Founding members will have voting privileges… We will have to quantify the weight of their votes. The latter is necessary in view of Afam’s anxieties about wealthy people coming in to project their own ideas, and also given the fact that as the Organisation grows, members will join who have contrary visions.

ii) Honorary Membership – membership bestowed on individuals of outstanding character in the Eastern states of Nigeria. This will be in line with our vision to celebrate positive role models… In the not too distant future it will be a thing of honour to want to associate with us! This should not attract a voting privilege; however an honourary member will be encouraged to become an Individual member with voting privileges…

iii) Individual Membership – Individuals from the nationalities that make up Eastern Nigeria. We will have to debate HOW individuals become members, whether by invitation or not. Individual members would have voting privileges.

iv) Organisational membership – this will be open to already existing organisations that share our vision. Given that during elections, local government areas are divided into wards etc part of our organisational strategy would be to encourage youths at local government levels to come in as grassroots organisations. These organisations will have voting privileges. We will have to quantify the weight of the organisational vote…

v) Student membership – open to all students… This will probably always be non-paying… It may also not have voting privileges; however a student may decide to upgrade to the ‘Individual Membership’ status.

vi) Affiliateship – our friends who may come from outside of the East. This will not attract any fees or voting privileges. It should be by invitation. This would include Individual and Organisational Affiliate memberships.

As i stated in the beginning, this is an idea in evolution. It still needs fine-tuning . . .

I agree with the membership base as proposed by Beneli, Onlytruth and Point B. I understand Afam's concerns about fees, but fees are not required at the online formation stage as Point B explained. However, we should not rule out the need for some funding at some stage when we need to execute some of our objectives. I believe that funding is covered in Article 9 as proposed by Point B, so maybe we should talk about funding wnen we discuss Article 9.

Our primary objective at this point is to connect with like minds and expand our base and membership but there will come a time that we will go beyond being a cyber organisation because we are all about grassroot works . This means that we should be ready to unmask ourselves at some point !

The only reason, or one of the reasons I mentioned a fee is in order to attract only those whom are seriously and really interested to make a commitment. Being willing to pay a membership fee is putting their money where their mouth is.

I am also worried about"spies" joining if it is free. But since it has its downside, no way is completely perfect... lets just hope for the best.

re@lchange:
:
now that this thread is getting serious watch as noisemakers will start to avoid it
few igbos are serious on this nairaland
where is ogugua88 now?
where is metalgoong?
where are all igbos shouting up and down?
dis thread will show us that many of our people are here just to make noise
where is dede, where is eziachi, where are they all

i commend FACE and pointB and beneli

eze where are you?

Do you think that concurring to every idea, whether good or bad, translates to you making meaningful contribution? . . . If you are one of those hallelujah or "yes sir" boys who cant analyze or think independently, i advice you to man up! Such a languid mindset of yours only make any organization you belong weaker.

Udo !!

Oh i see the point made about being anonymous and online... I was thinking ahead and that we have to un-anonymify ourselves once the group is sorted out and "ready to go."

I wasn't, still aren't sure how we can achieve much while being anonymous to each other and the people we are trying to reach.

I hope I have it all wrong.

re@lchange:
now that this thread is getting serious watch as noisemakers will start to avoid it
few igbos are serious on this nairaland
where is ogugua88 now?
where is metalgoong?
where are all igbos shouting up and down?
dis thread will show us that many of our people are here just to make noise
where is dede, where is eziachi, where are they all

i commend FACE and pointB and beneli

eze where are you?

My brother don't be dismayed at the fact that a lot of our people here are just noisemakers; sorry to say that. A whole lot of them are here for self entertainment and aggrandizement, always seeking to score cheap points against others, while making zero contribution to the discourse. We all have different callings in life and must fulfill our destinies one way or another. Some are programmed by their very nature to be spoilers, while some are natural builders of ideas and leaders of men. One of the biggest problems in Igboland is that a lot of our people are only energized against fellow Igbos. Once you remove that incentive, they simply disappear!

So, I would advise you to make your own contribution and move on. Be a builder and a solver of problems instead of just being a fault-finder.
Thanks bro.

remark D: Oh i see the point made about being anonymous and online... I was thinking ahead and that we have to un-anonymify ourselves once the group is sorted out and "ready to go."

I wasn't, still aren't sure how we can achieve much while being anonymous to each other and the people we are trying to reach.

I hope I have it all wrong.

We decided to be anonymous for the time being to be able to surmount a lot of obstacles: historical, geographical, personal, organizational, and developmental. A lot of organizations fail because individuals within them make the mistake of personalizing the mission instead of making it a group/institutional one. Group efforts move at snails pace. No doubt the anonymity is temporal. Once we reach a critical mass in organization, connection and development, we shall launch it offline.

I personally do not believe in failed projects. The history and geography of the Nigerian space is littered with failed movements in the North, West, East and South of the country. We don't want to be an addition to that list. What is important is what we are doing to build the base, not in the number of members,(for now).
We are already achieving something, though it may not be so obvious. The achievement is subtle but very much there.

Thanks for your honest counsel.

Igbo ekenem unu ooo! Muo nu ooo! Zuo nu oooo! Am awed by the leadership qualities demonstrated here by my brothers, and I want to pledge my unflinching support to this movement.

greetings to great Igbo sons & daugters.

Enough progress have been made so far and i must comend everyone of you all.(thanks)
Let us not worry so much about our people who refuse to be identify with this noble project and concetreates on how we can package this stuff to the grassroot where the ultimate price will be paid(self sacrifice).My little fear here is that when the real business start most of us may absentee themselvies with one reason or the other(easy said than done),but there's hope at the end of the day though time is of the essence.
I strongly believe and hope that when the time of unvieling our product(movement);most of you at diaspora WILL surely make it.

Udo diri umuigbo ndi ihe oma na amasi.

Beneli,

That's a bit much, don't you think? That's six levels of membership.

What about simply 3.) Affiliateship, 2.) Individual membership, and 1.) Founding membership? I don't think so many ranks or titles are necessary.

Affiliateship can encompass all you said about it, plus student membership. If fees are required, and a student cannot make them, then he or she will be an affiliate without voting privileges. If he or she can pay the fees, then he or she is an individual member with voting privileges. Plain and simple.

The same can be said about organizational membership. I'm assuming that people can be members of ENYI as well as other groups? In this case, I would think someone who is already a member of another organization should start at the affiliate level before being allowed to apply for individual membership. There are other groups who may not have ENYI's best interests in mind, so I think it would be wise if the group gets to know someone from another organization before that someone can join.
Why would an entire organization need its own membership? At best, if their notions are in line with those of ENYI, they can be affiliate groups or allies with which ENYI works closely.

What's the point of honorary membership if it doesn't come with any privileges that an individual member already has? I think this one should be scrapped altogether. If there are people who deserve recognition for work they've done in the east, ENYI members can all put money together and award him or her with an actual plaque or something of that sort, and then invite him to be a member of ENYI.

In a nation where we have Chief Engineer Doctor Mister and Senator Professor Minister Lolo Mrs, we don't need too many titles. The fewer the better.

Here's my take alongside that of Beneli (my own are bolded):

i) Founding Membership - Eze OnlyTruth and council. This would probably also include other individuals that are here from the very beginning. It would be subject to Eze and council’s approval… Some of the Founding members have already started to contribute time and money, so probably may not have to pay a defined membership fee; however I suspect that a lot of them would be happy to donate when necessary, to help the organisation during its teething period. The Founding members will have voting privileges and their votes will be weighted equally to that of votes from individual members. The only exception is OnlyTruth, who cannot vote unless there is a tie. He will make a final decision after he's heard from all sides.

ii.) Individial Membership - Individuals from the nationalities that make up Eastern Nigeria. How they will become members will be circumstantial. Those who have displayed outstanding character in the East (taken from beneli's Honorary Membership idea) can become members through invitation from a Founding Member. As most people will become members through affiliateship, there should be a process, which includes application and a membership fee. How much the fee is, when it will be initiated, and what the fee covers are discussions for another time, but there should be a membership fee eventually. Individual members will have voting privileges.

iii.) Affiliateship - Open to all friends/allies of ENYI and its cause. They will include non-Easterners, who are invited or convey interest in ENYI, as well as other Easterners, such as students, members of other organizations, or those who can't or do not wish to make payments yet. No fees or voting privileges as an affiliate.

Failed from the start. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

ogugua88: Beneli,

That's a bit much, don't you think? That's six levels of membership.

What about simply 3.) Affiliateship, 2.) Individual membership, and 1.) Founding membership? I don't think so many ranks or titles are necessary.

Affiliateship can encompass all you said about it, plus student membership. If fees are required, and a student cannot make them, then he or she will be an affiliate without voting privileges. If he or she can pay the fees, then he or she is an individual member with voting privileges. Plain and simple.

The same can be said about organizational membership. I'm assuming that people can be members of ENYI as well as other groups? In this case, I would think someone who is already a member of another organization should start at the affiliate level before being allowed to apply for individual membership. There are other groups who may not have ENYI's best interests in mind, so I think it would be wise if the group gets to know someone from another organization before that someone can join.
Why would an entire organization need its own membership? At best, if their notions are in line with those of ENYI, they can be affiliate groups or allies with which ENYI works closely.

What's the point of honorary membership if it doesn't come with any privileges that an individual member already has? I think this one should be scrapped altogether. If there are people who deserve recognition for work they've done in the east, ENYI members can all put money together and award him or her with an actual plaque or something of that sort, and then invite him to be a member of ENYI.

In a nation where we have Chief Engineer Doctor Mister and Senator Professor Minister Lolo Mrs, we don't need too many titles. The fewer the better.

Here's my take alongside that of Beneli (my own are bolded):

i) Founding Membership - Eze OnlyTruth and council. This would probably also include other individuals that are here from the very beginning. It would be subject to Eze and council’s approval… Some of the Founding members have already started to contribute time and money, so probably may not have to pay a defined membership fee; however I suspect that a lot of them would be happy to donate when necessary, to help the organisation during its teething period. The Founding members will have voting privileges and their votes will be weighted equally to that of votes from individual members. The only exception is OnlyTruth, who cannot vote unless there is a tie. He will make a final decision after he's heard from all sides.

ii.) Individial Membership - Individuals from the nationalities that make up Eastern Nigeria. How they will become members will be circumstantial. Those who have displayed outstanding character in the East can become members through invitation from a Founding Member. As most people will become members through affiliateship, there should be a process, which includes application and a membership fee. How much the fee is, when it will be initiated, what the fee covers is a discussion for another time, but there should be a membership fee. Individual members will have voting privileges.

iii.) Affiliateship - Open to all friends/allies of ENYI and its cause. They will include non-Easterners, who are invited or convey interest in ENYI, as well as other Easterners, such as students, members of other organizations, or those who can't or do not wish to make payments yet. No fees or voting privileges as an affiliate.

Thanks for your input. I like how you have compressed the structure and I agree with the modification. Original ideas are always raw and sometimes need to be fine tuned by other people.

LOL at denying Onlytruth his vote. I know what you meant though. However, I was thinking that the leader, Eze or Figurehead would have a right to his natural vote + a swing/deciding vote entitlement/privilege for leadership, however, he cannot use such vote to bring any voting process to a tie/stalemate.

I know that presiding officers usually have deciding votes in order to refrain from influencing the process and to show neutrality; but we all know that it is not human to be completely neutral in matters that concern the person involved and I will lean towards preserving the person's freedom of choice.

ebere1712: Failed from the start. Doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

It is very easy to stand aside and point at others. We are open to suggestions; so tell us what you think we are doing wrong and give us your own ideas of how to get it right.

FACE: Thanks for your input. I like how you have compressed the structure and I agree with the modification. Original ideas are always raw and sometimes need to be fine tuned by other people.

LOL at denying Onlytruth his vote. I know what you meant though. However, I was thinking that the leader, Eze or Figurehead would have a right to his natural vote + a swing/deciding vote entitlement/privilege for leadership, however, he cannot use such vote to bring any voting process to a tie/stalemate.

I know that presiding officers usually have deciding votes in order to refrain from influencing the process and to show neutrality; but we all know that it is not human to be completely neutral in matters that concern the person involved and I will lean towards preserving the person's freedom of choice.

You're welcome.

I'm glad you understood lol. The bolded is a great suggestion as well. Sounds fairer actually lol, so maybe we can get more input on this particular issue.

Ogugua88,
Great contribution! I think that the way you have compressed the categories is very sound. I however agree with FACE that the Eze should not be denied his voting privileges but should in addition to his one vote also have 'a swing/deciding vote entitlement/privilege.'

ogugua88: Beneli,

That's a bit much, don't you think? That's six levels of membership.

What about simply 3.) Affiliateship, 2.) Individual membership, and 1.) Founding membership? I don't think so many ranks or titles are necessary.

Affiliateship can encompass all you said about it, plus student membership. If fees are required, and a student cannot make them, then he or she will be an affiliate without voting privileges. If he or she can pay the fees, then he or she is an individual member with voting privileges. Plain and simple.

The same can be said about organizational membership. I'm assuming that people can be members of ENYI as well as other groups? In this case, I would think someone who is already a member of another organization should start at the affiliate level before being allowed to apply for individual membership. There are other groups who may not have ENYI's best interests in mind, so I think it would be wise if the group gets to know someone from another organization before that someone can join.
Why would an entire organization need its own membership? At best, if their notions are in line with those of ENYI, they can be affiliate groups or allies with which ENYI works closely.

What's the point of honorary membership if it doesn't come with any privileges that an individual member already has? I think this one should be scrapped altogether. If there are people who deserve recognition for work they've done in the east, ENYI members can all put money together and award him or her with an actual plaque or something of that sort, and then invite him to be a member of ENYI.

In a nation where we have Chief Engineer Doctor Mister and Senator Professor Minister Lolo Mrs, we don't need too many titles. The fewer the better.

Here's my take alongside that of Beneli (my own are bolded):

i) Founding Membership - Eze OnlyTruth and council. This would probably also include other individuals that are here from the very beginning. It would be subject to Eze and council’s approval… Some of the Founding members have already started to contribute time and money, so probably may not have to pay a defined membership fee; however I suspect that a lot of them would be happy to donate when necessary, to help the organisation during its teething period. The Founding members will have voting privileges and their votes will be weighted equally to that of votes from individual members. The only exception is OnlyTruth, who cannot vote unless there is a tie. He will make a final decision after he's heard from all sides.

ii.) Individial Membership - Individuals from the nationalities that make up Eastern Nigeria. How they will become members will be circumstantial. Those who have displayed outstanding character in the East (taken from beneli's Honorary Membership idea) can become members through invitation from a Founding Member. As most people will become members through affiliateship, there should be a process, which includes application and a membership fee. How much the fee is, when it will be initiated, and what the fee covers are discussions for another time, but there should be a membership fee eventually. Individual members will have voting privileges.

iii.) Affiliateship - Open to all friends/allies of ENYI and its cause. They will include non-Easterners, who are invited or convey interest in ENYI, as well as other Easterners, such as students, members of other organizations, or those who can't or do not wish to make payments yet. No fees or voting privileges as an affiliate.