Minutes of the Meeting of Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, Old Students’ Association, North America, Inc. held on Wednesday, March 7th, 2018.
Members Present:
Tokunbo Labisi, President
Dayo Adedoyin, Treasurer
Tayo Adedokun, Asst. Secretary
Remi Iloh (remiiloh@yahoo.com)
Segun Sobanjo
Akin Akinleye
Victor Akinlolu
Rotimi Olojede
Excused absences:
Lola Owoade, Vice President; Yinka Adeleke, Asst. Treasurer; Layi Adeola, Secretary; Fatai Ilupeju
Opening:
Tokunbo Labisi declared the meeting open at 9:13 pm EDT. He followed this up with the opening prayer.
Adoption of Minutes of February 15th, 2018 Meeting:
Tokunbo Labisi moved for the adoption of minutes of the February 15th meeting as distributed by Layi Adeola, which was seconded by Rotimi Olojede.
Financials & related updates:
The financial update was given by the Treasurer. He encouraged everyone at the meeting to pay the association’s annual due ($250) by the end of March. The annual due is critical for the solvency of the association. He informed the meeting that the cost of the 501c application was paid last month and that there was no new expenditures during the last 30 days. The only change in the association’s financial standing was an income of $600 from annual due (2 members) and donations, with a current total is $12,061.41. Members also deliberated on the on-going efforts to deliver another set of chair-desk-combo to Olivet. Based on reports coming from Dr. Ilupeju, who was as at that time on the ground in Nigeria, this round of furniture to be donated will cost a total of N1,970,000.00 (as per the carpenter’s quote for 200 units to furnish 8 classrooms at 25 units per classroom). Detail was sent to OBHS-NA Alumni WhatApps group.
IT & related updates:
Yinka Adeleke was not available (excused absence) to give an update on the association’s website. Mr. President informed the meeting that Yinka Adeleke would be able to give an update during our next meeting.
Monthly meeting day and frequency:
Tokunbo Labisi mentioned the fact that, Mr. Secretary made an observation about our last meeting being moved from the usual Wednesday to Thursday with more people in attendance compared to the last few meetings. He asked for comments on moving monthly meetings from Wednesday to Thursday. The general consensus was that the meeting day should be left as it is (Wednesday). The second issue raised by Tokunbo Labisi was the frequency of meetings (monthly), especially during the non-reunion years. The two alternatives suggested were i). Once every two months; ii). Quarterly meetings with the Executive being able to call special/emergency meeting(s) if needed. At the end of the deliberations, we concluded that we should continue with the monthly meetings with the executive having the power to cancel any meeting if deemed necessary. Some of the reasons given were consistency is important (Tokunbo Labisi) and going a couple of months without a meeting could result in “out of sight is out of mind” syndrome (Segun Sobanjo and Dayo Adedoyin).
Relationship between OBHS-NA and the National Association
The need for regular updates from the National Association was raised. The meeting was told that Mr. Gbolahan Labinjo is the newly elected National President. Tokunbo Labisi said there was a plan for him and the National President to have a conversation in February when he was visiting the US, which unfortunately did not hold. He promised to reach out to him again. Dayo Adedoyin suggested that it is good to touch base with the National Association on a regular (quarterly) basis.
Alternative Conference Call Methods:
Tokunbo Labisi gave an update regarding his investigation into the association using toll-free phone number as an alternative to the current conference call method. Based on the cost ($9/month with an additional 10c/person/minute), people present at the meeting (including Mr. President) felt that the association may not be able to bear this responsibility, for now. The conclusion was that we should maintain the status quo until we are able to get a cheaper and more convenient option. Assistant Treasurer is also looking at other avenues. He would give us an update during our next meeting.
Other Business:
Remi Iloh asked if the association has any ongoing special project(s). She told the meeting of her passion for raising funds but it is important for her to have as much information as possible when she goes out fund-raising. A showcase the association’s special projects will enhance fund-raising. According to her, this may not be monetary, it could be something like donating used clothes to the less privileged or providing something like “Wheels on Meals” to the less privileged in the community during special occasions like Thanksgiving day. She also suggested that the earlier the reunion committee is formed the better. According to her, the special project could be done yearly at the association’s Headquarter (Atlanta). Tokunbo Labisi promised to further discuss this with Remi Iloh. He hopes to put together a sub-committee to look into this suggestion. Dayo Adedoyin encouraged members to share their thoughts on things they think the association could act on and that could be incorporated into reunion activities.
Closing: Tokunbo Labisi closed the meeting and said the closing prayer at 9.57 PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Tayo Adedokun
March 13, 2018