…As Lagos Metro honours past Excos
The Supreme Knight, Knights of the Order of Mulumba (KSM) Nigeria, Sir Steve Adehi has tasked Catholic Knights on selfless service and discipline, urging them to be shining examples that people can learn from, rather than being Knights who will be a scandal to the Church. Adehi gave the charge while speaking during the thanksgiving Mass and reception in honour of the Lagos Metropolitan Council outgone Executives, held recently at St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos. Advising Christians not to seek earthly rewards for charitable services, Adehi disclosed that discipline is one of the cardinal points of his administration, adding that the Order will train and retrain members to understand the essence of knighthood. According to him, “Knights are shining examples to members in the parish.
People look up to them. And so, by the time a knight misbehaves, people see that misbehaviour as the right thing to do.” The Supreme Knight disclosed his administration’s intention to ensure members get returns on investment, assuring of impactful charitable services to extend into the education and health sectors. He said: “There are so many dilapidated schools around. There are so many hospitals that need assistance. We want to see how we can get enough funds to be able to go into those areas. “Even for our members, like I said, we want to have returns on investment. We want to get to a situation where our members begin to get returns on the investment they made over the years. We can’t even rule out the possibility of paying dues for some of our members.” On insecurity, he said: “The Church in Nigeria is under threat, and we must respond to it.
We will set up a committee to address insecurity as it affects parishes. We will come up with policies to train the cadets, MODs and local parish security outfits on how to respond to issues of insecurity and order. We are not going to respond by carrying guns or swords or whatever, we are going to respond to it intelligently. And that way we will be able to safeguard some of our parishes and safeguard the Catholic community from external attack.” On economic challenges, he called on the government to take up measures that will ensure that economic gains are felt by the common man in the street.
Speaking on the occasion, Sir (Dr.) Charles Mbelede, immediate past Supreme Knight and Deputy International President, International Alliance of Catholic Knights, disclosed that his concept is for members of the Order to think together, plan together and achieve together, adding that that is the strategy to succeed. He wished the new executives a fruitful, progressive and hitch free four-year tenure to the glory of God, urging them to continue to think together, plan together, so that they can achieve together.
On insecurity and economic state of the nation, he advised the government to improve the security architecture in Nigeria, as the country is in a situation of near collapse, asking leaders to think progressively, optimise the new tax law that has come up so that it is not stressful. Sir Godwin Nosa Ehigiator, the Metro Grand Knight, Lagos Metropolitan Council, said his new position is a call to service, to propel the Metro from the past to the future, as he urged members to do the right thing at all times. “Our Metro of the future is a Metro that sees everybody doing the right thing at the right time, without anyone pursuing you to do it”, he said.
The event, which began wit with Mass con celebrated by Very Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Ayeni, the Metro Chaplain, Rev. Fr. Kenneth Mereh, Assistant Metro Chaplain, and other priests, had in attendance the immediate past MGK, Sir Don Ezeh, among other outgone excos. While delivering the homily, Fr. Mereh, urged the new leaders to see their positions as a call, and vocation, urging them to be good followers, who allow Jesus to lead them so that everything will go according to God’s plan.
