Who is Clara Okeke from No Longer at Ease and what is their importance?

Clara Okeke is the primary female character in the novel, Clara Obi is from Mbaino, the neighboring village to Obi Okonkwo's Iguedo. Obi first meets Clara at a dance in London where she is studying nursing and he English. He is struck by her beauty, but when he finally finds the nerve to ask her to dance, he steps on her feet.