Gov Alex Otti of Abia State has extended condolences to the Christian community and the family of the late Rev. (Dr) Uma Ukpai, whose death was announced on Monday.
The condolence message was contained in a statement issued in Umuahia on Tuesday by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma.
Ukpai, founder of the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, died at the age of 80.
Otti, in the statement, prayed that God would grant the family the strength to bear the loss and sustain the legacy of faith the late cleric left behind.
“On behalf of my family, the government and people of Abia State, I send my deepest condolences to the family of Dr. Uma Ukpai and the Christian community,” Otti said.
The governor described Ukpai as one of Abia’s most impactful and celebrated religious ambassadors, and a soldier of Christ whose death signifies his transition to eternal rest with the Lord.
He said he received the news of Ukpai’s passing with sadness, recalling the father-son relationship that existed between them over the years.
Otti described the cleric’s demise as devastating, noting that it had created a massive vacuum in Christendom, Abia State, and Nigeria.
He eulogised Ukpai as “a father of all, a soldier of Christ, and a generational teacher who yielded himself to God and became a potent instrument for healing and salvation.”
According to the governor, Ukpai’s ministry focused on soul-winning, fulfilment of scripture, and the manifestation of God’s prophecies.
“His death is devastating because of the positive influence he wielded, the lives he touched in special ways, and the vacuum his exit has created,” Otti added.
While regretting that the revered evangelist passed on when his services were still being felt across the nation, Otti said his death was a “journey to higher glory.”
