In a wide-ranging and insightful interview with the Editor, NETA NWOSU, the Supreme Knight of the Order of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria (KSM), Sir (Dr.) Charles Mbelede shared his vision for the Order’s future, its commitment to spiritual growth, charity and initiatives, and its efforts to modernise and remain relevant in the 21st century. As the leader of one of Nigeria’s most respected Catholic organisations, the Supreme Knight offered a unique perspective on the Order’s 2025 major concerns and priorities, development of members, participation in Jubilee Year of Hope, highlights of his tenure and other contemporary matters. Excerpts:
Congratulations on your successful 45th Annual Supreme Council Convention. How do you envision the resolutions passed at the 45th Annual Supreme Council Convention impacting the daily lives of Knights of St. Mulumba members?
I thank you for this interaction with The Catholic Herald Newspaper. Now to your question. Our Convention comes up annually and is rotated among the nine Metro Councils of KSM Nigeria in line with the Catholic Ecclesiastical Provinces. The Conventions afford veritable opportunities for introspection peer reviews and preparation for the activities of the succeeding years. Our Communiques capture the deliberations and resolutions of the Conventions.
The Order has internal mechanisms in its three Organs to ensure compliance. The resolutions that are directed to both National and Sub-nationals in most cases have been complied with. They are mainly advisory and we cannot force their executions. So far, none of our advisories have been ignored. I must add that we have utilised the high-profile natures of the opening ceremonies of our Conventions to provide veritable platforms for Clerics, Academics, Politicians, Activists and Government Functionaries to throw up solutions to the myriad of problems stunting the growth and prosperity of our nation.
How will the resolutions address the spiritual growth and development of members, and what programmes or initiatives can members expect in this regard?
The members of the Order as you are probably aware are referred to as Soldiers of Christ, and on that score, KSM is akin to a paramilitary outfit. One of the thematic programmes of the Order is the spiritual growth of members and emphasis on charity. Virtually all the Order’s activities are patterned along the Catholic Ecclesiastical principles, Christo-centric ideals and its prayer lives. There is no way you can be in the Order and your spiritual life will be stunted. We have cheering testimonies of members whose membership in KSM has tremendously enhanced their spirituality and prayer lives. .
In what ways will the resolutions promote the values of the Knights of St. Mulumba, such as charity, unity, and fraternity, among members and the wider community?
We may not need resolutions from Conventions to promote the values you highlighted in your question. Every member of the Order is familiar with or has internalised the cherished values of KSM, which include working towards a high sense of order and discipline within the society, promoting Christian brotherhood, being sensitive to the needs of the poor and giving succour to the needy, trusting in God always, promoting justice at all times and living an exemplary Christian life, and defending Catholic faith and actions.
What are your major concerns and priorities in the year 2025?
Our major concern for the year 2025 is to continue with the reforms we started, to ensure that the Order is modernised and operates in line with digital principles. Our investment portfolios are on course and we desire to bring all of them to fruition this year. Our Water Factory at Owerri will soon be commissioned, our Bakery and Confectionery outlets have resumed production, and plans are afoot to modernise our Guest House and Convention Centre RECCO, to enable it to compete squarely in the hospitality industry. The essence of this endeavour is to reduce the Order’s dependence on dues and levies for its activities.
Last year, we were able to provide articulated water projects in some semi-urban localities, as part of the Order’s corporate responsibilities. We partnered with an American-based Charity Organisation, Kind One Initiative for Wells, which provided the $20,000 (twenty thousand dollars) as part payments for the projects. The benefiting communities are Ijebu Ode Sub-Council in Lagos Metro, Ozubulu in Anambra Onitsha Metro, Makurdi in Abuja Metro and Port Harcourt in Calabar Metro. This year in conjunction with our partners, we will reach out to more communities.
As the Supreme Knight, how do you plan to strengthen the relationship between the Order and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, and what areas of collaboration do you think are most important?
The Catholic Bishops apart from being the Local Ordinaries of our various dioceses are our fathers in faith. Apart from being the custodians of our cherished Catholic traditions and faith, they ensure the spiritual growth of all of us. Therefore, we hold their umbrella body, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) with so much reverence and respect. The Order is an ardent supporter of the body and has continued to execute without hesitation all its directives. There is no question of improving our relationship with the CBCN, as our loyalty is total and unalloyed.
The Order of Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria has been involved in various charitable and social welfare projects over the years. What are some of the most significant projects the Order is currently undertaking, and how do you see these projects contributing to the overall mission of the Order?
As I mentioned earlier, one of the cardinal programmes of the Order is Charity. Members are enjoined to be sensitive to the needs of the poor and vulnerable. KSM emphasises both corporate and individual charity outreaches. Both KSM and its members have individually and collectively invested a quantum amount of money in charity bites: Medical Bills, provision of houses for the homeless, food apostolates, medical missions and internal charity for needy members. KSM built the multi-million-naira Chapel at Veritas University in Abuja, and some of our members have built churches for various communities. The Ladies of St. Mulumba have routinely built houses for poor widows across the country and late last year launched an Empowerment Programme in which more than 100 persons were beneficiaries.
How does the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria plan to commemorate the Jubilee Year of Hope, and what initiatives or programmes can members expect during this special year?
A jubilee year is traditionally proclaimed by the Pope every 25 years. The theme for this year is ‘Pilgrims of Hope’. This year, the Church encourages adherents to embark on pilgrimages, attend masses, expiate their sins, forgive the sins of others, and generally focus on spiritual growth. The Order as a thoroughbred Catholic Sodality will of course key into the programmes of the Jubilee year as outlined by the Vatican and cascaded down with variants by the various dioceses.
In what ways will the Jubilee Year of Hope provide opportunities for spiritual growth, reflection, and renewal among members?
As I mentioned earlier, the Universal Church has outlined broad areas in which adherents should participate in the jubilee programmes. Luckily on the pilgrimage side, we will encourage our members to undertake our yearly pilgrimage to Uganda and Israel. The Pilgrimage is ours and it will make it easier for members to key in. The other programmes are routine Catholic programmes, regular attendance at Masses, Confessions and Adorations. We have our Chaplains and Chancellors who will drive the process.
How will the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria engage with the wider community during the Jubilee Year of Hope, and what outreach programmes or activities can be expected?
We have continuously engaged other Catholics and our immediate communities in our outreaches, retreats and programmes. The template is there and we will have no qualms whatsoever in this regard. The ultimate intention is to win more souls for Christ.
What have been some of the highlights of your tenure as Supreme Knight, and what accomplishments are you most proud of?
It’s pertinent to recall my early days as Supreme Knight. I took the realms of office in November 2021 at the twilight of the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant dislocations. Because of the national lockdown, all the activities of the Order were put on hold. This had telling effects. No meetings of the various organs and no payments of dues and levies led to mounting debts, including store items and KSM publications. My first assignment was to restore normalcy and ensure that all recurrent expenses were met. It was a tough call, but my team and I evolved a Strategic Work Plan to turn things around and put the Order on a steady path of recovery and growth. Part of the plan was the Celebration of KSM at 70. It was hugely successful and the proceeds from the year-long celebration came in handy.
Part of it was injected into our Investment portfolios. Our Water Factory at Owerri came alive and a Storey building named the ‘Platinum Complex’ to commemorate the event was erected in record time at the KSM headquarters in Onitsha. The complex currently accommodates our Bakery and Confectionery outlets, Staff Quarters, Library and an Infirmary. It’s delightful that with careful planning and diligence, we were able to restore the Order to its current enviable path of progress and prosperity, ensuring that its thematic programmes are on course.
We partnered with an American-based Charity Organisation, Kind One Initiative for Wells, and we provided articulated Water Projects in some semi-urban localities across the country. Our partners provided a grant of $ 20 million (twenty million dollars) for part payments for the successful construction of the projects at Ijebu Ode Sub-Council in Lagos Metro, Ozubulu in Onitsha Metro, Makurdi in Abuja Metro and Port Harcourt in Calabar Metro. These are tangible indices of development and concrete Corporate Social Responsibility.
How do you envision the future of the Knights of St. Mulumba Nigeria, and what plans do you have to ensure the continued growth and development of the Order?
The late President Kennedy in his inaugural address at his inauguration, in 1960 reminded leaders that they must strive to ensure that they leave a refreshing difference in the management of their countries as their legacies when they exit leadership positions. I think that it is left for others to assess our tenure. We have within the limitations of resources available to us, left enduring legacies for others to build on. We have striven to ensure that the KSM Brand remains the foremost Catholic Knighthood, patterned after the Knights of Columbus in America, in Africa.
What legacy do you hope to leave behind as Supreme Knight, and how do you think your tenure will be remembered by future generations of Knights?
I believe that my response to your last two questions has done justice to this question. Once again, I sincerely thank you for providing this platform for me to ventilate our modest contributions to the growth and development of our Order. We escalated our media advocacies, and were the voice of the voiceless, as we constantly spoke truth to power and engaged forcefully all forces of oppression and negativity in the country.
