ADOPTED 1975. UPDATED & REVISED, 1985, 1992 AND 2001
PREAMBLE
The Nigerian Society of Agricultural Engineers, NSAE, was established in 1975. Consequent upon a merger of the Society with the Nigerian Society of Engineers, NSE, on 17th July. 1999, the Society metamorphosed into the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers, NIAE, a Division of the NSE hereinafter referred to as the Institution. This revision of the Institution’s Constitution reflects the current status of the NIAE vis-à-vis the NSE.
Section 1: NAME
The name of the Institution shall be the Nigerian Institution of Agricultural Engineers a Division of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (hereinafter simply referred to as “The Institution” or for short as NIAE)
Section 2: GOVERNMENT
(1) The Institution shall be governed by this Constitution and Bye-Laws or others which shall be made from time to time under the Constitution.
(2) The affairs of the Institution shall be managed by the National Executive elected from its Corporate Membership, which shall have:
(a) full control of the activities of the Institution subject to the limitations of this constitution and any amendment thereof.
(b) the power to recommend amendment or repeal of Bye-Laws and Rules in harmony with the Constitution to the AGM for discussion and decision.
Section 3: OBJECTS
(1) The objects of the Institution shall be:
(a) To promote the science and art of engineering in agriculture
(b) To encourage original research
(c) To foster and promote agricultural engineering education
(d) To advance in every possible way the standards of agricultural engineering
(e) To promote the intercourse of agricultural engineers among its members and
with allied Technologists; and
(f) To encourage the enhancement of professional competence of its members.
(2) The Institution may approve of or adopt any report, standard, code, formula or recommended practice but shall absolutely forbid the use of its name, emblem, or mark of any form to indicate official or implied approval of any commercial work or business ecept to indicate that such work or business is in conformity with its standards or recommended practices.
Section 4: MEMBERSHIP
(1) The corporate membership of the Institution shall consist of Fellows and Members. Also there shall be Honorary Fellows, Affiliate Members, Graduates, Students and Corporate Firm/Company members.
(2) The rights and privileges of members shall not be transferable.
(3) Each financial corporate member shall be entitled to vote on any matter or issue before the Institution.
(4) A financial member whether corporate or otherwise shall be that person who is owing not more than one annual subscription.
(5) Every person admitted to membership shall be subject to this Constitution and to any amendments that may be in respect thereof from time to time.
Section 5: QUALIFICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP
(1) Members of all grade shall be elected by the National Executive or otherwise by the Council of the NSE
(2) A Fellow shall be an engineer of acknowledged professional eminence with outstanding contributions in the field of agricultural engineering. He shall meet the requirements for corporate membership and shall have been at least 10 years in that grade. He shall also have had a minimum of 20 years of active practice in the profession of engineering. There shall also be honorary Fellows to which highly distinguished individuals, not necessarily members of the NIAE, may be elected without formal application.
(3) A Corporate member can be elected a Fellow of the Institution after satisfying conditions stated in 5 (2) above. A Board of Fellows will be responsible for recommending candidates for the Fellowship grade to the Execute Council.
(4) Any person in other disciplines who has contributed to the progress of technological advancement in the country in agricultural engineering can be elected a Honorary Fellow of the NIAE on the recommendation of the Board of Fellows.
(5) A Corporate member shall be a qualified engineer with at least 2 years post-qualification experience in Agricultural Engineering. He must be a graduate from a professional agricultural engineering curriculum (or its engineering equivalent) at a School of accepted standing.
(6) A Honorary member shall be a person of acknowledged eminence who must have made outstanding contributions to the profession of agricultural engineering.
(7) A graduate member shall be a person who is qualified academically for corporate membership but who has not yet had the 2 years relevant post-qualification experience in agricultural engineering.
(8) A student member shall be an undergraduate or graduate student registered in a professional agricultural engineering curriculum (or its engineering equivalent) at a school approved by the Institution.
Section 6: FUNDS
The Institution’s funds shall consist of the followings:
(1) (a) Annual dues by members:
The annual dues for members in each grade shall be as provided for in the Bye-
laws. The National Executive may, by a three-fourths ballot vote of it members, change any existing schedule of annual dues, and may provide for payment of dues in installments. No increase in dues shall be effected unless announced in writing to the members at least 3 months prior to the beginning of the period for which the increase is to become effective.
(b) Grants and loans from internal and external sources approved by the National
Executive.
(2) The deposit, investment and disbursement of all funds shall be subject to the directives
of the National Executive
Section 7: THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE
(1) The National Executive shall consist of twelve elected members including the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, and Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Publication Secretary, Publicity Secretary/Public Relations Officer, the Immediate Past Chairman, the Editor of the Institution’s Journal and Two ex-Officio members. (One being the Secretary of the next LOC), and Regional Chapter Chairmen.
(2) The National Executive shall hold Office for a period of 2 years
(3) Elections shall take place at the Annual General Meeting. Each candidate shall be proposed and seconded by two Corporate members.
(4) The National EXCO shall be responsible for drawing up annual programme of activities of the Institution for approval by the Council of NSE.
(5) The National Executive may at any time whenever there shall appear to be sufficient cause, delegate to any corporate member of the Institution the performance of any duties required by the
(6) Constitution to be performed by any member of the National Executive. The National Executive shall meet during or immediately after the close of the Annual General Meeting of the Institution, and at such other times as the National Executive may deem fit, and at the request of the Chairman. Five members of the Executive shall constitute a quorum.
(7) The National Executive shall provide for a complete yearly report of the affairs of the Institution, which shall be presented at and form a part of the proceedings of the Annual General Meeting.
Sectional 8: OFFICERS
(1) The officers of the Institution shall consist of Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the secretary, the Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer, the Financial Secretary, the Publication Secretary, the Public Relations Officer/Publicity Secretary and Regional Chapters’ Chairmen.
(2) No member shall be elected into any of the above mentioned offices for more than 2 consecutive terms.
(3) In the temporary absence of any officer due to unavoidable circumstances, the National Executive may appoint an Alternate Officer for the period of such an Officer’s absence.
Section 9: MEETINGS OF THE INSTITUTION
(1) The meetings of the Institution shall consist of an Annual General Meeting and any special Business meeting.
(2) The Annual General Meeting of the Institution shall be held at such time and plac as the National Executive shall appoint.
(3) A special Business meeting of the Institution may be called at any time and place at the discretion of the National Executive.
(4) The Secretary shall upon a written request of five percent of the Corporate membership (as at January 1 of that year) call a special Business Meeting of the Institution.
(5) The notice of such Business meeting shall be sent out at least 30 days prior to the date of meeting and shall state the business to be considered and not other business may be considered at the meeting.
Section 10: ESTABLISHMENT OF BRANCHES
The National Executive may authorize the organization of Regional, State or Local Branches composed of members of any or all grades, which shall operate under the provisions of the Constitution, Bye-laws and Rules, provided the membership is up to 40.
Section 11: PUBLICATION AND PAPERS
The papers and publications of the Institution shall be issued in such a manner as the National Executive may direct and subject to the provisions of the Institution Bye-laws and Rules.
Section 12: PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
(1) In all professional and business relations the members of the Institution shall be governed by the Canons of Ethics for Engineers incorporated in the Bye-laws.
(2) Any member who has violated the provision or provisions of the constitution of the Institution or is found guilty of conduct unbecoming of a member may be expelled by two-thirds votes of the National Executive after he has been given an opportunity to be heard in his own defense, either orally or in writing.
Section 13: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
(1) The National Executive shall have power to order for a revision of the Constitution as situations demand and proposed same for adoption in form of amendments. NEC’s recommendations shall be sent to members ahead of the AGM at which it is to be discussed and adopted, by two-thirds vote of members present.
(2) Alternatively, at any business meeting of the Institution, the National Executive and any member entitled to vote may proposed in writing an amendment to any section of this constitution, provided the proposed amendment shall bear the endorsement of at least twenty corporate members.
(3) Any proposed amendment as in 13(2) shall not be voted on for adoption at the meeting but shall be open to discussion and modification, and to a vote as to whether, in its original or modified form, it shall be mailed to corporate members of the Institution for action.
(4) If the members, present at the meeting, not less than twenty voting in favour thereof, shall so decide, then the Secretary shall mail to each person entitled to vote, at least sixty days prior to the next Business Meeting of the Institution, a copy of the proposed amendment as so decided by the said vote, accompanied by any comment of the National Executive.
(5) A ballot shall be sent with the proposed amendment, and the voting shall be seasled letter ballot, closing at the noon of the twentieth day preceding the Business Meeting of the institution following the mailing.
(6) The adoption of the amendment shall require a vote in its favour of two-thirds of the vote cat.
(7) The presiding officer at the meeting of the Institution following the close of the ballot shall announce the result, and if the amendment is adopted, it shall thereupon take effect.
Section 14: AMENDMENT
(1) Any changes in the order of numbering of the provisions of the Constitution, the Bye-laws and Rules necessitated by any amendment, shall be made under the direction of the National Executive.
(2) The National Executive shall direct the transition in the best interest of the Institution in all cases where a change of practice necessitated by an amendment may best be effected over a reasonable period of time.
(3) This constitution shall take effect from the date of the adoption by two-thirds of the votes of members voting at an Annual General Meeting or a Special Business Meeting convened for its adoption or notice thereof.
Section 15: TRUSTEES
(1) The Institution shall have trustees who should take charge and look after properties
(2) The Institution trustees shall be elected by the AGM
(3) Trustees’ tenure, which is renewable, will be four (4) years.
(4) Whenever a vacancy occurs, a replacement will be elected during the next AGM
(5) The number of Trustees shall be five (5)
Section 16: REGISTRATION OF INSTITUION PROPERTIES
The Institution shall register all her landed properties with the appropriate authority of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
