By Amofokhai Williams
Nigeria has lost one of its most revered Christian leaders, Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai, who passed away on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the age of 80.
The Alarmee reports that the globally acclaimed evangelist, bridge-builder, and humanitarian was widely celebrated for his decades-long ministry that touched millions of lives across continents.
Born on January 7, 1945, in Asaga, Ohafia, Abia State, Rev. Ukpai rose from humble beginnings to become a towering figure in Nigeria’s Christian community.
He was the Founder and President of the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association (UUEA), a non-denominational ministry headquartered in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
For more than six decades, he dedicated his life to preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and uniting the body of Christ across denominational lines.
A co-founder of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev. Ukpai was instrumental in shaping Nigeria’s Pentecostal movement.
His 1985 “Greater Lagos for Christ Crusade” is remembered as the event that birthed the PFN, now a national Christian body uniting churches and evangelists under one umbrella.
Over the years, his ministry staged countless crusades across Nigeria, including the Greater Ohafia for Christ Crusade, Greater Ibadan for Christ Crusade (1982), and the Anioma One-Million Man Crusade (2016), all marked by miraculous healings and powerful testimonies.
Beyond evangelism, Rev. Ukpai’s compassion extended into health and education. He founded the Uma Ukpai Eye Centre and the King of Kings Specialist Hospital in Abia State, offering free and subsidised medical services to thousands. His ministry also ran a 30-year medical outreach across Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States.
A firm believer in empowering the next generation, he established the Uma Ukpai Polytechnic, Asaga, the Uma Ukpai School of Theology and Biblical Studies, Uyo, and the Uma Ukpai Scholarship Foundation, through which he sponsored numerous underprivileged students.
Educated in both the United Kingdom and the United States, Rev. Ukpai held degrees in Electrical Engineering, Journalism, and Divinity. He was a graduate of the School of Journalism and Television, Frisham, Hermitage (UK), South Florida Christian College, and Carolina Christian University.
Despite facing personal tragedy, including the loss of two children in a car accident, Rev. Ukpai remained steadfast in faith, often declaring, “The stone Satan throws at you can become a stepping stone.”
He is survived by his wife, Pastor Philomena Uma Ukpai, their children, and an adopted child.
Tributes have begun pouring in from Christian leaders, government officials, and admirers across the nation, describing his passing as “a monumental loss to the body of Christ” and “the end of an era of great faith.”
Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai’s legacy endures-in the lives he transformed, the institutions he built, and the gospel he fearlessly preached for more than sixty years.
