Unoma Akpabio, wife of Nigeria’s Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, was in a coma for six months at a German hospital before she was miraculously healed through the intercession of an Italian Catholic priest, Pio Pietrelcina, widely known as Padre Pio.
Mr Akpabio, who disclosed this in a statement issued by one of his media aides, Jackson Udom, on Sunday, said that at the time his wife underwent a failed surgery and was declared 98 per cent dead. At the same time, in a coma, he cried to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ and the Catholic priest for divine healing.
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The statement was issued to announce the Senate president’s visit to the prayer ground of St. Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, to offer prayers to God for a peaceful 2027 election and an end to banditry and terrorism in Nigeria.
Mr Akpabio explained that at the time his wife was in a coma following the failed surgery, he used the photograph of the priest to make the sign of the cross on her and cried for divine intervention instead of losing hope in her recovery.
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He said his wife miraculously woke up after the prayer and that the hospital could not understand how she recovered from the coma, which almost took her life.
Mr Akpabio did not indicate when the incident happened or the nature of his wife’s ailment.
“My wife was in a coma for six months in a hospital in Germany. She was 98 per cent dead. I used the picture of Pio to make a sign of the cross on her, instead of turning off the life- support machine she was on. She had an operation that went wrong. I cried to Mother Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, and called on Pio to intercede.
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“Miraculously, she woke up. That hospital, to this day, has yet to understand what happened. As someone who has experienced the powers in where I am standing, I can understand it more than anyone else”, he said.
He also said that after Mrs Akpabio was discharged from the hospital, it took her three months to regain her memory and recognise him and their children.
“This is my 10th time here. When my wife was finally discharged from the hospital, she waited for three months before she could remember my name and those of the children. We are here today to give thanks to God and to thank Pio for always interceding for us,” he said.
Mr Akpabio said the experience prompted his family to honour Padre Pio by giving their son the priest’s name as his baptismal name.
He also said the family established a football academy in the priest’s honour to provide training and scholarships to underprivileged children.
“We honoured PIO by giving our son the baptismal name, Pio. We also established a large academy, which we called the PIO Football Academy, where we train and offer scholarships to children from low-income families, from age 9 up to the university level, all in memory of PIO. May his soul rest in perfect peace,” he stated.
Prayer for Nigeria
Explaining the purpose of his visit to the prayer ground, Mr Akpabio told St Padre PIO TV/Radio in Italy that his delegation had travelled to the site to seek divine intervention for Nigeria’s security challenges.
READ ALSO: 2027: INEC clears Akpabio, Uzodimma, Oshiomhole, 1,300 others for Senate race (FULL LIST)
“We are all from Nigeria. We came to offer prayers and get blessings from God for ourselves, families and our dear country that is currently being ravaged by banditry and terrorism.
“We are here on this prayer ground, and we are going home fulfilled, that we were able to touch this Holy ground, drop our intentions which he will take to God on our behalf,” he said.
Mr Akpabio said he was impressed by the way the site had been maintained, describing it as a holy ground.
“I am very impressed that the place has been well kept. This is a holy ground. Some people who are here might not even understand the significance of this ground, but those of us who are adherents and followers of Pio believe in his intercessions,” he said.
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