On the 7th of January 1945, in the quiet town of Asaga, Ohafia in Abia State, a boy was born whose journey would one day stir the Christian conscience of a nation.
Dr. Uma Ukpai lost his father at the tender age of ten, a loss that would shape his compassion for the poor and his unshakeable determination to serve.
Early Life and Calling
Growing up amidst financial hardship, Ukpai attended primary and secondary schools in Asaga, Ogoni and Aba, often working to pay his fees while clinging to a youthful ambition: to preach.
In 1958 he embraced the Christian faith, which was an encounter that redirected the trajectory of his life. He later pursued studies in journalism, electrical engineering, and theology in Nigeria, UK and the USA. Thus, blending intellectual discipline with spiritual calling.
The Ministry and Mission
In the early 1970s Ukpai founded the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association (UUEA) headquartered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. A non-denominational platform that would become the launching pad for stadium-sized crusades and outdoor outreach across Nigeria and beyond.
His 1985 “Greater Lagos for Christ” crusade is still cited as a watershed event in Nigerian Pentecostal history, a gathering that helped catalyse the creation of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
Through these crusades, Dr. Ukpai preached salvation, delivered healing and called the church to wider social responsibility.
Personal Life & Tragedy
His personal life was deeply tied to his calling. Married to Philomena (a pastor) in 1975, the couple raised eight biological children and one adopted child.
The Ukpai household carried its share of sorrow: in a tragedy that cut across ministry and family life, he lost two children in a single car collision. A grief he referenced in public reflections on suffering and service.
These losses, and his lifelong concern for the poor, informed both the urgency and tenderness of his message.
A Portrait
Ukpai’s public persona was that of a firebrand evangelist, but those who knew him speak of a man of profound humility, deeply sensitive to human suffering. He famously said
“I know what it means to lose a father and be a father from that age… I have feelings for the poor.” And he lived his words.
He travelled light, unafraid of hardship, and always returned to his mission of bridging denominational divides, uniting tribes, and lifting the downtrodden.
In the mid-2000s the UUEA mounted a medical outreach that included free eye-care clinics and mobile surgeries. With the establishment of the Uma Ukpai Eye Centre and King of Kings Hospital in Abia State, his faith found tangible expression in practical service.
I still vividly recall one exemplary encounter; a rural woman, blind from cataract, led by a crusade team, walked into the tent afraid, and walked out into daylight seeing for the first time. The noise from the crowd that day was deafening. The man of faith wept. It was ministry in its truest form.
Legacy and Influence
Over six decades, Dr. Ukpai shaped not only individual lives but the contours of Nigerian evangelicalism. He mentored young pastors, encouraged educational initiatives and spoke boldly on moral reform, national cohesion and servant leadership.
Dr. Ukpai was the proprietor of Uma Ukpai School of Theology and Biblical Studies, Uyo, Uma Ukpai Polytechnic Asaga, Uma Ukpai Scholarship Foundation and Joseph business school, affiliate of Joseph business school Chicago, USA.
In his later years the nation recognised his contribution: on the occasion of his 80th birthday on 7th January 2025, thousands gathered to celebrate him, and an encomium of glowing tributes overflowed.
Final Reflections
On 6 October 2025 Dr. Ukpai entered his eternal reward at the age of 80, leaving behind a rich legacy of faith lived and faith shared.
His life reminds us that evangelism is not only proclamation, it is healing, it is education, it is social concern. The pulpit and the hospital ward belonged to him.
For the countless men and women who heard his voice, walked into darkness and came into the light, his legacy endures. The tents may be folded, the banners taken down, yet the lives changed remain his living monument.
In the sketch of his life, you see the boy in Asaga, the preacher in Uyo, the humanitarian abroad. You see the rhinoceros of revival, firm yet gentle. The man of God unafraid of storms, the servant-leader unassuming in victory.
His story is not simply of crusades won or churches built, but of a life surrendered to God and offered for humanity.
Dr. Uma Ukpai may have passed the baton, but the race he ran continues. May his memory inspire fresh generations to run theirs.
