Terms & Conditions

📋 1. Acceptance of Terms

These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Member," "you," or "your") and the Unity/Govt. College, Oye Alumni ("UGCOA," "we," "our," or "us") governing your access to and use of the alumni portal at www.ugcoa.com.ng (the "Portal"), including all associated services, features, content, and functionality.

By registering for an account, logging in, browsing the Portal, or using any of its services — including the community forum, event registration, elections, job listings, donations, messaging, and the alumni directory — you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.

If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must not access or use the Portal. Your continued use of the Portal following any updates or changes to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

📖 2. Definitions

In these Terms, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings set out below:

🎓 3. Membership Eligibility & Registration

a) Eligibility

Membership of the UGCOA Portal is open exclusively to graduates of:

• Ekiti State Government College, Oye-Ekiti (present name), or
• Ondo State Unity Secondary School, Oye-Ekiti (former name)

You must be at least 16 years of age to register on the Portal. By registering, you represent and warrant that you are a genuine alumnus/alumna of the institution and that the information you provide is accurate and truthful.

b) Verification Process

All new registrations are subject to a verification process conducted by UGCOA administrators. This may include verifying your graduation set/year, identity details, and alumni status. UGCOA reserves the right to decline any registration that cannot be satisfactorily verified.

c) Accuracy of Information

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to maintain and promptly update your profile information to keep it accurate. Providing false, misleading, or fraudulent information may result in immediate account suspension or termination.

🔑 4. Account Responsibilities

As a registered member, you are responsible for:

• Account security: Maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials (username and password). You must not share your account details with any other person.
• Unauthorised access: Notifying UGCOA immediately if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account or any other breach of security.
• Account activity: All activities that occur under your account, whether or not you have authorised them. You are liable for any actions taken through your account.
• Session security: Logging out of your account after each session, particularly when accessing the Portal from shared or public devices.
• Password strength: Choosing a strong, unique password and updating it periodically. We recommend using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

⚙️ 5. Portal Services

The UGCOA Portal provides a range of services to registered members. By using any of these services, you agree to comply with these Terms and any additional guidelines specific to each service.

a) Alumni Directory

The alumni directory allows registered members to search for and connect with fellow graduates. Your profile information may be visible to other logged-in members as described in our Privacy Policy. You may control the visibility of optional profile fields through your account settings.

b) Events

The Portal allows members to view upcoming events, reunions, and association activities, and to register their attendance via RSVP. Event details, schedules, and venues are subject to change. UGCOA reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or modify any event at its discretion.

c) News & Updates

UGCOA publishes news articles, announcements, and updates on the Portal. While we endeavour to ensure the accuracy of published content, UGCOA does not guarantee that all information is error-free or up to date.

d) Media Gallery

The Portal hosts photographs and videos from association events and activities. Members may view and interact with gallery content. Any media uploaded by administrators remains the property of UGCOA. You may not download, reproduce, or distribute gallery content for commercial purposes without prior written consent.

e) Contributions & Fundraising

Members may contribute to fundraising campaigns and association projects through the Portal. All contributions are governed by the terms set out in Section 8 below.

💬 6. Community Forum & User-Generated Content

The UGCOA community forum is a space for alumni to share ideas, discuss topics of interest, and engage with fellow members. By posting on the forum, you agree to abide by the following rules:

a) Content Standards

All forum posts, comments, and replies must:

• Be respectful, civil, and constructive in tone
• Be relevant to the topic or discussion thread
• Not contain defamatory, abusive, threatening, or harassing language
• Not contain obscene, vulgar, or sexually explicit material
• Not promote discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic
• Not contain spam, unsolicited advertisements, or promotional material
• Not infringe on the intellectual property rights of any third party
• Not contain malicious links, malware, or phishing attempts

b) Ownership & Licence

You retain ownership of the content you post on the forum. However, by posting content on the Portal, you grant UGCOA a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute your content within the Portal and in association communications (such as newsletters or social media) for the purposes of promoting the alumni community.

c) Moderation

UGCOA administrators reserve the right to review, edit, move, or remove any forum content that violates these Terms or community guidelines, at their sole discretion and without prior notice. Repeated violations may result in account suspension or termination.

🗳️ 7. Elections & Voting

The Portal includes a digital election system that enables qualified members to participate in UGCOA governance elections. By participating in any election, you agree to the following:

• Eligibility: Only verified, registered members in good standing are eligible to vote. Eligibility criteria for specific elections may be defined by the UGCOA Electoral Committee and communicated prior to each election.
• One vote per member: Each eligible member is entitled to cast one vote per election category. Any attempt to vote more than once, manipulate the voting process, or interfere with the election system is strictly prohibited.
• Vote secrecy: Your individual vote is anonymous. While we record that you participated in an election, your specific ballot choices are not linked to your identity in any stored record.
• Voting tokens: Where applicable, secure voting tokens may be issued to verified members to authenticate their participation. Tokens are personal, non-transferable, and must not be shared with any other person.
• Results: Election results are published as aggregated, non-identifying vote tallies. The decision of the UGCOA Electoral Committee on election results is final, subject to any dispute resolution process outlined in the association's constitution.
• Candidacy: Members wishing to stand as candidates must meet the eligibility criteria set by the UGCOA constitution and the Electoral Committee for each election cycle.

💳 8. Donations & Contributions

The Portal facilitates monetary contributions towards UGCOA projects and fundraising campaigns. By making a donation through the Portal, you agree to the following:

• Voluntary contributions: All donations are voluntary. No member shall be compelled or pressured to contribute.
• Payment processing: Donations are processed through reputable third-party payment gateways. UGCOA does not collect, store, or have access to your full credit/debit card numbers, bank account details, or payment PINs. Please refer to the payment provider's terms and privacy policy for details of how your payment information is handled.
• Non-refundable: Unless otherwise stated for a specific campaign, all donations are final and non-refundable. If you believe a transaction was made in error, please contact us promptly using the details in Section 19.
• Acknowledgement: You will receive a confirmation or receipt for your donation. Donation records may be shared with the UGCOA Financial Secretary and executive committee for accountability and audit purposes.
• Use of funds: Donations will be applied to the specific campaign or project designated at the time of contribution. UGCOA will provide periodic updates on the progress and utilisation of donated funds where practicable.

💼 9. Job Listings

The Portal provides a job listings feature to help alumni share and discover employment opportunities. By posting or responding to job listings, you agree to the following:

• Legitimate opportunities only: All job listings must represent genuine, lawful employment or business opportunities. Listings for pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing, fraudulent schemes, or illegal activities are strictly prohibited.
• Accuracy: If you post a job listing, you are responsible for ensuring that the information provided (including job title, description, requirements, company details, and compensation) is accurate and not misleading.
• No discrimination: Job listings must comply with applicable employment laws and must not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic.
• No guarantee: UGCOA does not endorse, verify, or guarantee any job listing posted on the Portal. We are not responsible for the outcome of any job application or hiring decision arising from the use of this feature.
• Removal: UGCOA reserves the right to remove any job listing that violates these Terms, is reported by members, or is deemed inappropriate, at any time and without prior notice.
• Blacklisting: Members who repeatedly post fraudulent, misleading, or inappropriate job listings may be blacklisted from the job listings feature and may face account suspension.

✉️ 10. Messaging & Communication

The Portal provides a messaging feature that allows members to communicate privately with one another. By using the messaging service, you agree to the following:

• Appropriate use: Messages must be respectful and relevant. You must not use the messaging feature to send unsolicited commercial messages, spam, chain messages, or any content that violates these Terms.
• Harassment: Using the messaging feature to harass, threaten, intimidate, or abuse another member is strictly prohibited. Any member found engaging in such conduct may have their messaging privileges revoked and their account suspended or terminated.
• No expectation of monitoring: While UGCOA does not routinely monitor private messages, we reserve the right to investigate and review messages if a report of abuse or violation is received.
• Reporting: If you receive inappropriate, threatening, or abusive messages, you are encouraged to report the sender to UGCOA administrators for investigation.

©️ 11. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property rights in the Portal — including but not limited to the design, layout, graphics, logos, icons, images, text, software, and underlying code — are owned by or licensed to UGCOA and are protected by applicable copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

• UGCOA branding: The UGCOA name, logo, crest, motto ("Oneness & Progress"), and all associated branding elements are the property of the Unity/Govt. College, Oye Alumni. You may not use, reproduce, or modify these marks without prior written permission from UGCOA.
• Portal content: You may view and print pages from the Portal for your own personal, non-commercial use, provided you do not modify the content and you retain all copyright and proprietary notices.
• Restrictions: You must not reproduce, distribute, publicly display, create derivative works from, or commercially exploit any Portal content without the prior written consent of UGCOA.
• Member content: You retain intellectual property rights over the content you create and post on the Portal (such as forum posts and profile information), subject to the licence granted in Section 6(b).

🚫 12. Prohibited Conduct

When using the Portal, you must not:

• Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or misrepresent your identity, alumni status, or affiliation
• Use another member's account without their permission
• Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Portal, other accounts, computer systems, or networks connected to the Portal
• Upload, post, or transmit any viruses, trojans, worms, malware, or other harmful code
• Use automated scripts, bots, scrapers, or crawlers to access or collect data from the Portal
• Interfere with or disrupt the Portal's servers, networks, or infrastructure
• Harvest, collect, or store personal information of other members without their explicit consent
• Use the Portal for any unlawful, fraudulent, or malicious purpose
• Engage in any activity that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Portal
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Portal's software or systems
• Use the Portal to distribute unsolicited commercial messages (spam) or advertisements
• Post or share content that is defamatory, obscene, hateful, discriminatory, or that incites violence
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent any security measures, access controls, or usage limits implemented on the Portal

⛔ 13. Account Suspension & Termination

a) By UGCOA

UGCOA reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate your account and access to the Portal at any time, with or without prior notice, if:

• You violate any provision of these Terms
• Your registration information is found to be false, misleading, or fraudulent
• Your alumni status cannot be verified
• You engage in prohibited conduct as outlined in Section 12
• Your continued access to the Portal poses a risk to other members, the Portal, or the association
• You have been inactive for an extended period, as determined by UGCOA
• It is required by law, regulation, or lawful authority

b) By You

You may request the deletion of your account at any time by contacting UGCOA administrators using the details in Section 19. Upon account deletion:

• Your profile information will be removed from the alumni directory within 30 days
• Your forum posts may remain visible but will be attributed to an anonymised or deleted account
• Donation records and election participation logs will be retained in accordance with our Privacy Policy and legal obligations

c) Effect of Termination

Upon account suspension or termination, your right to access and use the Portal ceases immediately. UGCOA is not liable for any loss of data, content, or access resulting from account suspension or termination. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification) shall remain in effect.

🔒 14. Privacy

Your use of the Portal is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, protect, and share your personal information. The Privacy Policy is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

By using the Portal, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy. We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 (NDPA) and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR).

⚠️ 15. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

a) "As Is" Basis

The Portal and all its services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, or uninterrupted and error-free operation.

b) No Guarantees

UGCOA does not guarantee that:

• The Portal will be available at all times or free from interruptions, errors, or defects
• The information on the Portal is complete, accurate, reliable, or current
• Any defects or errors will be corrected within a specific timeframe
• The Portal or its servers are free of viruses, malware, or other harmful components

c) Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, UGCOA, its officers, executive committee members, administrators, volunteers, and agents shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or in connection with your use of (or inability to use) the Portal, including but not limited to:

• Loss of data, profits, revenue, or business opportunities
• Damage to your device, software, or systems
• Any reliance on information obtained through the Portal
• Actions or omissions of third parties, including other members, payment processors, or external service providers
• Unauthorised access to or alteration of your account, data, or transmissions

d) Third-Party Content

The Portal may contain content posted by members (such as forum posts, job listings, and profile information) and links to external websites. UGCOA does not endorse, verify, or assume responsibility for any third-party content, and you access or rely on such content at your own risk.

🛡️ 16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless UGCOA, its officers, executive committee members, administrators, volunteers, and agents from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your use of or access to the Portal
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any applicable law, regulation, or third-party right
• Any content you submit, post, or transmit through the Portal
• Any dispute between you and another member arising from your use of the Portal

⚖️ 17. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without regard to conflict of law principles.

a) Dispute Resolution

In the event of any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Portal, the parties shall first attempt to resolve the matter amicably through direct negotiation and, where appropriate, through the UGCOA internal dispute resolution or disciplinary procedures as set out in the association's constitution.

b) Mediation & Arbitration

If a dispute cannot be resolved through direct negotiation within 30 days, either party may refer the matter to mediation under the rules of a mutually agreed mediator. If mediation fails, the dispute shall be submitted to binding arbitration in accordance with the Arbitration and Conciliation Act (Cap A18, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004).

c) Jurisdiction

Any legal proceedings arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ekiti State, Nigeria, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

📄 18. Changes to These Terms

UGCOA reserves the right to update, amend, or modify these Terms at any time to reflect changes in our services, operations, legal requirements, or association governance. When we make changes:

• The updated Terms will be posted on this page with a revised "Effective Date."
• For material changes, we will notify registered members via email or a prominent notice on the Portal.
• Your continued use of the Portal after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed about the terms governing your use of the Portal.

📬 19. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms & Conditions or your use of the Portal, please contact us: