Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has mourned the passing of the renowned Nigerian evangelist, Uma Ukpai, whom he described as a “generational teacher”.
Uma died on 6 October, according to a statement from the family. He was 80 years old.
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Revered as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria, Uma was the founder and president of the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, headquartered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. He turned 80 on 7 January.
Although from Ohafia in Abia State, the late cleric had spent most of his adult life in Uyo, where he hosted hundreds of Christians to a life-impacting service every Wednesday at his Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association’s cathedral.
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In a statement on Monday, 13 October, from his special adviser on media and publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, Mr Otti said he received with sadness the news of Uma’s passing.
Mr Otti recalled the father-son relationship that existed between him and Uma over the years, and said his passing was devastating because of the massive vacuum it has created in Christendom, Abia State and the country.
“Our father in the Lord, Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai has, to the joy of the Heavens and celebration of the Angels, gone to be with the Lord.
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“He was the father of all, a soldier of Christ and a generational teacher who yielded himself to Christ and became a potent instrument for healing of the sick, salvation for lost souls, fulfilment of the scriptures and manifestation of the prophesies of God.
“His death is devastating because of the positive influence he wielded, the positive impacts he made, the lives he touched in very special ways, and above all, the vacuum his exit has created,” Mr Otti stated.
The governor, while regretting that the late evangelist passed on when his services to God and humanity were still being enjoyed, said that his is not a death, but a journey to higher glory.
Mr Otti, on behalf of his family, the government and people of Abia State, sent condolences to the family of Uma and the Christian community.
He prayed that “God would give them the courage to accept his exit and uphold the enduring fire of Glory he ignited in the vineyard of the Lord”.
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