The city of Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State, was agog on Tuesday, January 7, 2025. The fathers of apostolic faith in Nigeria, their spiritual sons, and eminent personalities from all walks of life gathered with family and friends to celebrate a living legend, an international evangelist, and one of the most anointed and respected men of God from Africa, Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai, who clocked 80 years. His life’s trajectory is a testament that God works in mysterious ways. Many a time, God uses unpleasant situations to reveal His purpose. That was the case of the young Uma when he was still 10 years plus.
Though his beginning was rough, the Almighty God had ordained him for a life of greatness and tremendous impact. His father was killed in 1955, and to help his mother, his uncle who lived in Ogoni, Rivers State, took him to get him educated. In one of his school days at Khana County Council Secondary School in Rivers State, a mad man’s audacity challenged him. He explained thus: “A mad man came to our school and sacked the entire school. He sacked everybody. As we were all running from the mad man “DECO”, God said to me, you also can sack the mad man. So, I commanded him to roll out of the school. And to my shock, he (Deco), began to roll out of the school. While he was rolling, he said, do you know that I am naked? When a madman discovers he is naked, that is an obvious indication and evidence that he’s been healed…”
That was how Uma’s ministry was discovered. The school headmaster instantly appointed him to lead the schools’ morning prayer sessions. This happened after he had surrendered his life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ at a crusade organized by the Assemblies of God Church. Shortly, he received the baptism of the Holy Ghost, and his ministry began to explode.
At a very young age, Uma showed great promise by supporting his widowed mother and siblings from the proceeds of his entrepreneurial ingenuity. Despite his headstrong impulsiveness, his mother had been advised by a sage to pamper him with guarded optimism as his future would be great. It was reported that when the then governor of Eastern Nigeria visited his school, he was among the three boys that were asked what they would like to be in future. The other two answered that they would like to be a medical doctor and a lawyer respectively, but the vintage Uma unapologetically declared that he would like to be a preacher.
As God gave him ministerial open doors, Uma did his theological trainings at South Florida Christian College, Miami, Florida, USA, and Carolina Christian University & Burke Bible College, Kentucky, USA. He is also a graduate of the School of Journalism and Television, Frisham, Hermitage, United Kingdom. He has preached in crusades, seminars, and conferences all over the world except Russia. He was the first African guest preacher at the World Convention of the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International (FGBMFI) held in the city of Miami in 1996. Daddy Uma, as fondly called, along his American friend, took a 20-year jail term risk by smuggling Bibles into mainland China via Hong Kong in 1985. He narrated that the five screening machines placed on their suitcases at the border got miraculously packed up and could not decipher the contents. That was how both escaped and moved Bibles into the then reclusive country.
Uma had witnessed fiery trials and tragedies that led to the loss of his two sons. He had a crippled son from birth who later began walking at his command after a humiliating mockery. And for handling the adversity with rare calmness, God detailed 100 angels to accompany him everywhere he goes and promised to make him visible across the globe. That was when he was planning the Greater Ibadan for Christ Crusade in 1982.
In May 1985, Uma involved every church in Lagos in organizing the historic Greater Lagos for Christ Crusade held at the National Stadium Surulere, Lagos, which was phenomenal in harvest of souls, miracles of healing, deliverance, and activated a new wave of revival in the body of Christ in Nigeria. For 6 months, he relocated to Lagos to ensure a superb organization.
Aftermath of the epoch programme was the birth of Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) in 1986 which has contributed immensely to cementing unity in the body of Christ and spreading of the gospel across the country. It was to Uma’s credited that ‘One-Million-Man’ crusades were organized in many parts of the country with outstanding testimonies and supernatural breakthroughs. And with Billy Graham and other great men of God, Uma co-authored the book, ‘The Work of an Evangelist’.
Born in Asaga, Ohafia, Abia State, on January 7, 1945, Uma is blessed with six children and a wonderful wife, Philomena, whom he treasures highly. He is always proud of his hometown, Ohafia, where he has built six asphalted roads, a well-equipped hospital, and a polytechnic. He runs humanitarian and philanthropic organizations that are used to reach the poor and the less privileged in the society.
In commemorating his 80th birthday, Governor Umo Eno described him as “God’s gift to Akwa Ibom”, while Pastor E. A. Adeboye of RCCG said he learnt a life of worship and succor in his darkest moment from Uma, and declared to him that, “It’s only when you get to heaven that you’ll realize the power of your influence here on earth…”
Despite his influence and anointing, Uma sticks to not opening a church but operates from his headquarters in Uyo, as clearly instructed by God. Irrespective of his engagements, he endeavours to be in Uyo for one-on-one counseling of all classes of persons every Tuesday and runs his every Wednesday fellowship.The greatest lesson from Uma Ukpai’s life is that it is possible to live a scandal-free life.