Terms of Use

About these terms

These Terms of Use govern your use of the Onward C.I.C.U. member app (on iOS and Android) and this website, https://onwardcooperative.com.ng (together, the "app"). The app is provided by Onward Cooperative Investments and Credit Union ("Onward C.I.C.U.", "the cooperative", "we", "us"):

• Legal name: [To be completed: full legal name of the cooperative]
• Registration number: [To be completed: cooperative registration number and registering authority]
• Registered address: [To be completed: registered address]

By signing in to the app you agree to these terms. Please read them with our Privacy Policy, which explains how we handle your personal data.

1. Who may use the app

1.1 The app is only for registered members of cooperative societies that take part in Onward C.I.C.U. ("participating societies").

1.2 You must be 18 or older.

1.3 You cannot create your own account. Your society's administrator creates your member record. You then activate your account and sign in with your email address (or OG Number) and a password.

2. Your account and its security

2.1 Keep your password secret. Do not share it or let anyone else use your account.

2.2 You are responsible for activity on your account that results from you sharing your password or not keeping it safe.

2.3 If you think someone else knows your password or has used your account, change your password at once and tell your society administrator or contact us.

2.4 Keep your email address and phone number up to date with your society, so that account and password-reset emails reach you.

3. What the app does

3.1 The app lets you view your membership details and your records with the cooperative, including shares, savings, special savings, Kasolayo, loans, deductions and repayments, receive notifications, and take part in the member forum.

3.2 The app shows records. It does not move money and is not a bank account.

4. Figures shown in the app

4.1 Balances, deductions, repayments and other figures shown in the app are provided for your information.

4.2 They are drawn from the cooperative's records, but they may sometimes be delayed, for example while a deduction report is being reconciled, or contain an error.

4.3 If a figure in the app differs from the cooperative's books, the cooperative's books prevail. If you think a figure is wrong, tell your society administrator. Mistakes are corrected by recording a correcting entry.

5. Your savings, loans and other arrangements

5.1 Your shares, savings, special savings, Kasolayo, loans, deductions and repayments are governed by:

• the bye-laws and rules of the cooperative and of your society
• any loan agreement or other agreement you have signed
• the law that applies to cooperatives in Nigeria

5.2 These terms do not change those arrangements. If these terms conflict with them, those arrangements prevail on those matters.

5.3 Closing or deleting your app account does not cancel any loan or other amount you owe the cooperative or your society.

6. The member forum

6.1 When you post in the forum, other members can see your post and your name.

6.2 You must not post anything that:

• is unlawful, defamatory, threatening, abusive, harassing or discriminatory
• shares another person's personal data, including bank details or identification numbers, without their permission
• impersonates another person or misrepresents your connection with the cooperative
• is spam or advertising, or contains harmful links or software
• is false or misleading about the cooperative's finances or another member

6.3 Do not post your own bank details, passwords or other sensitive information in the forum.

6.4 The cooperative moderates the forum. We may hide posts that break these terms or the cooperative's rules, and repeated or serious breaches may lead to suspension under section 10.

6.5 Forum posts are the views of the members who write them, not of the cooperative.

7. Acceptable use

You must not:

• try to access another member's account or data, or any part of the system you are not authorised to use
• interfere with, overload or try to break the security of the app or its systems
• copy, reverse engineer or resell the app, except where the law allows it
• use the app for any unlawful purpose

8. Availability of the service

8.1 We aim to keep the app available and working, but we do not promise that it will always be available, uninterrupted or free of errors.

8.2 We may suspend the app for maintenance, security or reasons outside our control, and we may change or remove features.

8.3 Notifications are reminders to open the app. Do not rely on them alone for important information.

9. Limitation of liability

9.1 The app is provided "as is". As far as Nigerian law allows, we give no warranty that the app is fit for a particular purpose beyond what these terms state.

9.2 As far as Nigerian law allows, we are not liable for:

• loss caused by the app being unavailable or by a delay in updating figures
• loss caused by you sharing your password or not keeping your account secure
• indirect or consequential loss

9.3 Nothing in these terms limits liability for fraud, or any liability or right that cannot be limited or excluded under Nigerian law. Your rights under the cooperative's bye-laws and your agreements with the cooperative are not affected.

10. Suspension and termination

10.1 We may suspend or close your access to the app if:

• you break these terms
• your membership is suspended or removed
• we need to do so to protect your account, other members or the cooperative's systems

10.2 You can ask for your account to be closed and your data to be deleted. See our Account deletion page.

10.3 When your access ends, the cooperative keeps its financial and audit records as explained in our Privacy Policy, and any amount you owe remains payable.

11. Changes to these terms

11.1 We may change these terms from time to time, for example when the app or the law changes.

11.2 We will publish the new version on this page. If the change is significant, we will tell you in the app or by email before it takes effect.

11.3 If you continue to use the app after the change takes effect, the new terms apply. If you do not agree, you may stop using the app and ask for your account to be closed.

12. Governing law and disputes

12.1 These terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

12.2 If you have a complaint or dispute about the app, please contact your society administrator or us first, so that we can try to resolve it.

12.3 Disputes about your membership, savings, shares, Kasolayo, loans or deductions are handled under the dispute procedures in the cooperative's and your society's bye-laws and the law that applies to cooperatives in Nigeria.

12.4 Any other dispute that cannot be resolved by discussion may be brought before the courts of [To be completed: Nigerian State whose courts will hear disputes], Nigeria.

13. Contact us

• Email: [To be completed: contact email]
• Post: [To be completed: registered address]
• Or speak to your society administrator.