Lady Ngozi Obah is the newly elected Noble President of Ladies of St. Mulumba (LSM) Nigeria. She emerged the leader of this honourable body on Saturday, November 5, 2022 during the LSM 44th Annual National Convention held at St. Leo Catholic Church, Ikeja, Lagos between November 3 and 6, 2022. A teacher at Ahmadu Bello University Staff School Zaria, her 30-year journey in the LSM has been quite eventful. The quintessential leader, Lady Obah of the Kaduna Metropolitan Council has an interesting LSM resume that reads, “Once a President and Secretary at various times respectively at the Sub-Council and Metropolitan Council.” The Editor, NETA NWOSU had a chat with Lady Ngozi Obah immediately after the elections that produced the current 13-Executive member team that will pilot the affairs of the LSM in the next four years. She intends to steer her leadership tenure with an impeccable mission of a two-pronged rediscovery anchored on what she termed – ‘Self Re-Discovery; Association Re-Discovery’. Hear the current LSM Noble President, “I humbly invite the newly elected Officers and the generality of our members to join me in this exciting journey to re-discover ourselves and the essence of the Ladies of the Knights of St. Mulumba as an association founded on spirituality, fidelity, integrity and sisterhood.” Excerpts:
How do you feel emerging as the Noble President of LSM Nigeria?
I am deeply humbled and at the same time, honoured and grateful to be elected as the Noble President of the Ladies of St. Mulumba Nigeria. Honestly, I will say it came as a surprise because when this whole thing started, I never thought of it. Some sisters came to me and started putting such thoughts into my mind, telling me that I have to come out, that they have looked around and I am the one they want. I said, “A beg carry that talk go. In fact, I have never thought of it.’ They said I just have to think of it. They kept saying it; twice, thrice and I told them to give me time to think about it. And I went home discussed with my husband and children and they said there is nothing wrong with it. We feel that you can do it: is it not people that are doing it? I told them I will put it into prayer. And I prayed. They kept asking, “Have you not prayed?” One day I just told them, “Ok, I have prayed. Let’s continue to pray if it is the will of God. And just about two to three months ago, I kept seeking the face of God. I kept saying and asking, “God, this is what I intend to do, is it Your will? If it is not Your will, let me know.” After all, am coming from Kaduna, we are even the minority as they normally call us. And so, when the election came up today, and I emerged, it came as a shock, but I thank God for everything. It shows me that truly, it is the will of God. And so, if it’s His will, He that allowed it to happen, I know that He will give us that grace and wherewithal on how to go about it.
You have seen the LSM, where is LSM Nigeria today and where do you want to take it to?
LSM is not doing well. They are doing well in some aspects. But there are some aspects that we need to improve upon. The outgone Noble President has done very well in the Think-Tank programme. They have built about 32 houses, but there are other aspects we need to look into. And those aspects, being a member of the outgone executives, as I said during my acceptance speech, accountability is very important because there are areas where we have loopholes and by the grace of God, I will try to make my impact within the next four years and move us to the next level.
Can you mention one or two areas that you need to take on?
First, is concerning finances in LSM. Yes, LSM is a charitable organisation so to say, and we go about doing charity here and there. But at the same time, there are some of our women that are suffering and crying. And so, if we sit together and find out what are the things that we can do to help such people, to reduce the suffering of these women. Once it’s possible, we put heads together and we will be able to come up with a programme. There’s no association that will run without money. But what we are saying is that we have to minimise what we do, then we look inward. Yesterday the Noble President informed that Bishop Kukah said this think-tank we should concentrate on our own, that is Catholics. But that notwithstanding, it’s not only Catholics that are indigent. Maybe, we look into Catholics and others with that programme. But there may be other programmes that this new executive will come out with that will help.
How would you describe your journey in LSM from the first day you became a member?
My journey in LSM has been a very smooth one. Somebody like Lady Odu who ruled LSM for 19 good years; those people are wonderful. Lady Odu is still alive. They are the ones that did what we call selfless service. They had no official car. They don’t have some of the good things that we have now, but they worked and there was discipline at that time. But we are lacking discipline now. The President is up there talking and people are doing what they want to do. Look at what happened today; Monsignor, our Chaplain was still there and people started moving about. Maybe to them, they don’t see it as anything, we need that discipline and then spirituality because if there is spirituality, then you know there are things you have to do, there are things you don’t have to do at a given time.
