Dr. Charles Mbelede has been elected as the Supreme Knight of the Order of the Knights of Saint Mulumba (KSM Nigeria).
This was at the 42nd Supreme Council Convention of the revered and renowned KSM, which held in Asaba, Delta State, on Saturday, November 27, 2021.
The Supreme Council Convention is usually rotated among the nine Metros and attended by members of the Supreme Executive Board, Metro delegates (five each) as well as the Grand Knights of 280 Subordinate Councils. The election holds every four years.
Mbelede, hitherto the Deputy Supreme Knight, succeeded Sir Diamond Ovueraye. Among the members of his new executive are Sir Emmanuel Onyejekwe, Deputy Supreme Knight; Sir Dan Egwu, Supreme Secretary; Sir Steve Adehi, Supreme Advocate; Sir Isaac Nwachukwu, Supreme Chancellor; Sir Patrick Ekwenta, Supreme Treasurer; Sir Jude Nwabueze, Supreme Financial Secretary; Sir David Ologun, Supreme Auditor; Sir Frank Odafen, Supreme Physician; Sir Leo Shekari, Supreme Warden; Sir Austin Mowan, Supreme Public Relations Officer and Sir George Eze, Supreme Assistant Secretary.
Sir Charles Mbelede
In his acceptance speech, Sir Mbelede who was unanimously voted for said: “I give glory to God for this privilege given to me to witness yet another smooth transition in the leadership of our honoured Order. I sincerely appreciate all of you for the decision taken four years ago in electing me Deputy Grand Knight, which has today prepared me to take over the mantle of leadership of our great Order… From the depth of my nothingness, I am indeed humbled by the confidence reposed in me, which returned me unopposed for the office of the Supreme Knight.”
He, thereafter, made a “commitment to continue to uphold the ideals for which the Order was established with a deep sense of professionalism.”
The newly elected Supreme Knight who pledged “to work honestly and diligently for the uplift of our honoured Order”, alongside the new executive, spiced up his riveting speech with anecdotes and quotes from the Bible.
Sir (Dr) Charles Mbelede is a successful and United Kingdom-chartered engineer. He is also a COREN-registered engineer as well as a PhD holder in Engineering Project Management. The cerebral and articulate CEO of Melcon M Nigeria Limited is a proud and committed Catholic. He is also a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, with another PhD in International Business Management.
Established 68 years ago by Rev. Fr. Abraham Anselm Isidahome Ojefua, a Catholic priest, monk and intellectual, KSM Nigeria has grown into a well-respected Order within IACK (International Association of Catholic Knights) as well as the universal Catholic church. Among their core values are the welfare and spiritual development of members, high sense of order and discipline within the society, being sensitive to the needs of the poor and giving succour to the destitute, the disadvantaged and the oppressed in the society, living an exemplary Catholic life, defending the Catholic faith and loving one’s neighbour as oneself, etc.
The Order currently boasts of membership cutting across tribes, professions, age bracket and social status. For the women, their wing, which is essentially a gathering of spouses of the Knights, is known as LSM (Ladies of Saint Mulumba).