OROKO CULTURAL ASSOCIATION – USA
2505 Greenes Lane
Powder Springs
GA 30127
Minutes for Executive Meeting. 01/14/2018
The executive meeting was chaired by the Secretary General, Tata Emmanuel Ikoe. The meeting began at 7.30 p.m ET. with opening prayer by Iya Naomi Ebile. This was followed by opening remarks from the National President, Iya Dr. Clementine Nanje.
On her opening remarks, the National President, welcomed the executive members with good faith, and mentioned that 2018 should be the year we should put our heads together to make Oroko great again. The meeting proceeded with the follow up of our 501(C)3, of which the Secretary General mentioned that a bill of $1,350 was to be paid by Oroko USA for the establishment of a new 501(C)3. The National President weighed in to say that we also need to file for our taxes every year beginning this year, which was one of the reasons the 501(C)3 was revoked in the first place. She continued by saying that, she will research the cost of filing our taxes, and also the cost of our registration renewal with the Secretary of State. A copy of the billing information for the establishment of a new 501(C)3 was handed to the Secretary General by the National President as well as a letter from the IRS as proof of our 501(C)3 status.
The meeting proceeded with discussions concerning the creation of Oroko USA seal of which the Secretary General mentioned that, it was lacking as part of an administrative tool to add value to the propriety of our administration. The Secretary General suggested a ten star to represent the Clans of Oroko surrounding any animal or bird which is of great importance to the Oroko people. His idea of using an eagle was rebutted by other members of the executive as being too pro-American in style, so members suggested we use other animal, bird or something else, while maintaining the idea of the ten stars.
The meeting continued with discussion on the Washington DC chapter financial issue, of which members of the executive concluded that, the idea of going after Tata Ebini Tambe will yield no results because, as Tata Nambili Namongo mentioned, Tata Ebini Tambe was not an executive member when the money was handed to him through the authorization of the then President of the Washington DC chapter, Iya Angela Ngole, so the executive unanimously agreed that, the burden for the collection of the money should rest on the shoulders of Iya Angela Ngole, and not Tata Ebini Tambe, and a time frame should be given for her to come up with the money or face legal actions.
Still on financial issues, the National Treasurer Iya Naomi Ebile mentioned that, out of the 28 pledges made during the 2017 National Convention in Boston, only 2 people have fulfilled or paid what they pledged. On that note, Tata Dr. Solomon Basame, weighed in to say that, we have to come up with a method to collect our pledges, because it does not seem right that people pledge and are unwilling to pay what they have pledged. He continued by saying that we should not be waiting for more than a month to collect pledges from people who pledge and that we have to constantly remind them of the pledge as soon as the convention is over. It was also agreed that, the host chapter will from now on be responsible for going after those who have pledged and a time frame should also be given to people who have pledged to pay their money, because not collecting the money on time, will only help to increase tension and confusion on how to split the proceeds from the Convention between the host chapter and the National which in some cases may take up to a year before all pledges are received, like was the case with the Dallas Chapter.
Still on convention issues, the hosting of the 2018 national convention was still under suspense, since the National President gave the people of Chicago a certain time frame to create a chapter in order to qualify for the hosting of a National Convention. She mentioned that the people of Chicago were working very hard to fulfill this obligation and she hope they will join us in our next executive meeting with the good news. On that note, Iya Gwendoline Bake, also mentioned that she is working on creating another Oroko chapter in Colorado and she hope they will be represented in Chicago 2018 Convention.
Concerning the 2018 Projects we are trying to embark on, the National President mentioned that we will be looking at making proposals on Medical Supplies, Agricultural Supplies and durable Water Supplies in Oroko land. She mentioned that, although we generate some money during our Convention that is not enough if we are looking forward to carry our sustainable developmental projects. She mentioned that with the help of our 501(C)3 we can now write proposals for funding or grants that we can use for our projects.
In term of fundraising, the Deputy Secretary General Tata Etukeni Agbaw also mentioned that we can organize other fundraising events to generate income and not to wait only during conventions. Tata Paddy Ndole, also suggested that each chapter pay a certain amount of money to the National which can also be a source of income for our projects. He also mentioned that, we can continue to embark on minor projects since we don’t yet have the financial capability to carry out major projects. The National President mentioned that since she is in the health sector, she can try to arrange healthcare materials that people can use back home and in some clinics which may cost less to ship to Cameroon and also to get the products here in the U.S.A. However, the executive agreed that it is a good idea to come up with proposals so that, we can raise more money to carry out large scale projects in Oroko land since our land is very big and our population is very large. It was agreed that, we can consult people who know how to write proposals and arrange with them on how to go about with the writing and making of proposal to donor agencies.
On membership drive, the National President mentioned that in order to make Oroko a lot stronger, we have to bring all our various villages or tribal meetings into one Oroko umbrella, meaning that, irrespective of the fact that we may have our own individual village or tribal meetings, the people who are attending these meetings should also partake in full force in our general Oroko meetings. On that note, Iya Gwendoline Bake, weighed in to say that we can also come up with a list of all Oroko people in the U.S.A so that we can be able to bring everybody under one umbrella. Tata Chief Victor Obie, the Georgia Chapter President mentioned that, we can organize a meeting with all the various Oroko tribal meeting presidents in order to make this a reality and bring our people under one umbrella.
The meeting continued with the Boston President, Tata Jana Nanje mentioning that he will be stepping down as the Boston Chapter President.
Tata Paddy Ndole the former Houston chapter President, on his part mentioned that he was having a meeting as we speak in Houston, and that a member who left the meeting almost 12 years ago was back and it called for celebration. He also mentioned that Houston chapter now has a new President in the name Tata Burnett Diony, with Tata Collinet Itoe as Secretary General and Iya Mercy Ndole as Treasurer.
The National Treasurer Iya Naomi Ebile also mentioned that, we had two new registered members, whose names are Iya Kristy Nanje and Tata Henry Dienga.
She continued by saying that as of date we have $16,029.25 in our National coffers, and a check of $825 has been sent to the Dallas Chapter with Tata Winston Okole as President. A $10 per month conference call fee will also be deducted from the balance. She continued by saying that, we have to send an acknowledgement letter to those who have fulfilled their pledges as a way of showing our gratitude.
On Matters Arising, Tata Nambili Namongo suggested that we come up with one uniform for Oroko USA ,which each of us can wear during the convention, rather than having each chapter come with their own uniform. The National President mentioned that, it was a good idea, but that the various chapter presidents should discuss it with their chapter members and bring back a report by our next executive meeting.
The meeting closed at 9.30 p.m ET.
Those who attended this meeting included;
– Iya Dr. Clementine Nanje , National President
– Tata Emmanuel Ikoe, Secretary General
– Tata Etukeni Agbaw, Deputy Secretary General
– Iya Naomi Ebile, National Treasurer
– Tata Nambili Namongo, Executive Adviser
– Tata Dr. Solomon Basame, Executive Adviser
– Iya Gwendoline Bake, Cultural Secretary
– Tata Winston Okole, Dallas President
– Tata Chief Victor Obie, Georgia President
– Tata Jana Nanje, Boston President
– Tata Paddy Ndole, Former Houston President
Done by:
Tata Emmanuel Ikoe
Secretary General
OCA-USA
