Meeting Minutes
Opening Prayer
Opening prayers by Alhaji Dada
Minutes Adoption
Minutes by Ms Ayomipojojo
Minutes adopted by Mr Ologolo, seconded by Mr Francis.
Feedback to Minutes
Mr Ologolo: For the amnesty program, is the Q1 deadline for payment applicable to both the outstanding balance plus $40 for 2026 (Jan & Feb) or outstanding balance only?
President’s response: outstanding balance plus 2026 dues.
Financials
- Donation Account: $2,555.37
- Main Account: $17,957.12
- Welfare Account: $2,841.65
Committee Updates
Constitution Review Committee
Sis Dami: the call for a memorandum for the constitution review is still open till February 21 and members are encouraged to send their responses to any of the three CRC members.
President’s response:
The call for a memorandum is to perfect the constitution, not to change or remove anything. Without constitutional suggestions from members, there will not be anything for the committee to review or vote on.
Welfare Committee
Mr. Kuye: We have posted the call for donations for about two weeks now on the Welfare Whatsapp group and have not received any responses. This is so unusual and members are encouraged to donate. The deadline for donations is by the next UYOT meeting. The call for donations was shared on a separate WhatsApp created for welfare donations only.
Mr. Yinka: Some members are yet to accept the invite to the welfare group. I also added all new members.
President’s Response:
It is our tradition in UYOT to assist one another through financial contributions—from birthdays to funerals. The call for contributions was made on February 8, and as of February 22, no contributions have been received. These contributions are open to all members irrespective of popularity or associations. The donation amount is not fixed and the total contributions are equally split among beneficiaries, not according to perceived need or popularity i.e if $100 is contributed, it is split 50/50. In December 2025, we contributed to two members. Some members indicated they wanted their contributions to be unequally split based on their associations with one of the beneficiaries. Members should not do this going forward. I am just pleading that we need to do this differently and not make it an issue. UYOT account donation is just $250, so the voluntary donations actually go a long way. This is not to blame the Welfare Committee, it is to manage side talks about the donation process. The Welfare Committee acts on behalf of UYOT.
Members Responses
Mr. Kuye: The president is correct; UYOT donations have nothing to do with cliques. The Welfare committee takes many things into consideration.
Dr. Sola: Cliques and popularity are the reality of life, the low turnout of donations may be due to this. The Welfare Committee should decide the split—it does not have to be equal. Some beneficiaries may need more money. I would have preferred that the President addressed the side talks with the Welfare committee.
Mr. Sola: I disagree with this stance. This is a voluntary contribution and UYOT cannot mandate how members decide that their contribution should be split among the beneficiaries.
Mr. Akindayo: We need to be sensitive to emotions within the association and ensure peace and unity. All angles are correct, however.
Mr. Falodun: Disbursement of the contribution is the mandate of the Welfare Committee. If members want to give more to their favorites, they can do so separately.
Mr. Yinka: In the 12 years since the establishment of UYOT, we have always allowed members to give directives on how they want their donation split among beneficiaries. There have been no issues so far. Let us continue. Some members have contributed more in the past to ensure the total donation given is presentable and worthy of the UYOT name. If there is a grievance, the Welfare Committee and the Ijoko Agba committee can intervene and clarify.
Event Committee
Sis Jade: We need to align with Mr. Yinka, Sis Eniola and Sis Tutu on the dates for the summer picnic and youth empowerment program. We should have an update by the next meeting.
Matters Arising
President: UYOT WhatsApp group — This is to inform UYOT members that there will be a change to the settings of the current WhatsApp group to a community WhatsApp group. Announcements will be controlled by the admins.
Mr. Yinka: Can we use UYOT main account balance (about 10k–15k) to purchase Certificates of Deposits? At the going CD rates, the interest that could be generated could be around $500 per month which is more than the probably zero interest from the checking account.
Evangelist Abdullahi: Due to little visibility into the amnesty list and the outstanding balances, I am unable to track and update the financial records with the exact amount the affected UYOT members paid. I believe that not everyone who received the amnesty letter paid 50%. Some just paid what they wanted.
Mr. Quadree: Do we have a functional website and has our Facebook page been updated recently?
Members Responses
Mr. Sola: Investments go beyond cash, there could be legal issues to be considered. Why can’t we focus on repositioning the association with our new 503c non-profit status and apply for grants as a way to build up UYOT finances? That is one major benefit from regularizing our status as a non profit.
Sis Moji: We can invest in CDs as a non-profit and still source for non-profit grants. One is not in the way of the other.
President Response to Matters Arising
How will taxes work with the CD situation? This is a good idea that needs to be developed. I will look into it. We have functioning websites, phones, and social media—we can optimize our nonprofit status. We have contacted the previous administrator for login details. We can also optimize our website through ads. The PRO is working on it, and there will be an update by the next meeting. For the amnesty list, transparency is important. Books will be updated by the end of the grace period.
Acknowledgment of New Members
Cynthia Falodun: originally from Tulsa OK and have been affiliated with the Nigerian community in Tulsa through RCCG for 23 years and can cook Nigerian dishes.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned by Mr. Kuye and seconded by Alhaji Dada.
