Otti, Diri, Obi, Others Pay Last Respects As Abia Holds State Burial For Rev Uma Ukpai

 

Abia State Government on Thursday, held a State Burial Service in honour of the late Abia born International Gospel Evangelist, Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai who slept in the Lord on Oct 6. 2015 at the age of 80 years.

 

The State Burial Service drew an array of eminent personalities, including the Governor of Bayelsa State, Doye Diri and his wife; the Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; Deputy Governors from various states as well as the wife of former Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

 

Also present were members of the National Assembly, legislators from the Abia State House of Assembly and other State Assemblies, members of the State Executive Council, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo worldwide, Senator John Azuta Mbata, leadership of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, the Clergy, traditional rulers and people from all walks of life.

 

Speaking at the ceremony held at the International Conference Centre Umuahia, Governor Alex Otti emphasied the importance of honouring the late Rev Dr. Uma Ukpai for his immense contributions to Abia State, Nigeria, and beyond.

Governor Otti noted that the decision to celebrate the revered man of God even in death, reflects his administration’s core value of giving honour to whom it is due.

 

The Governor who appreciated the late Rev Dr Uma Ukpai’s contributions to the body of Christ and humanity in genera, highlighted his legacy and pointed to the lives he impacted as evidence that his work endures.

He reassured believers that death is not the end, describing it as a transition of the soul to meet the Creator, while the body remains mere dust.

 

Governor Otti challenged the people to reflect on how they would be remembered and urged them to live meaningful lives.

The Governor while appreciating the wife of the deceased, Pastor Mrs Philomena Uma Ukpai for granting approval for the State to honour her husband, consoled the bereaved family and encouraged them to grieve with hope, anchored in the belief of resurrection and eternal life.

 

Also speaking, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, represented by the Deputy Governor, Akon Eyakenyi, described the late Uma Ukpai as a visionary, noting that the deceased had fought a good fight of faith and finished well.

He encouraged Abians, Akwa Ibomites and Nigerians at large to take heart, noting that the later Gospel Evangelist lived a life worthy of emulation.

 

In their separate tributes, the National Secretary of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev David Bakare speaking on behalf of the body, alongside Rev Prof Mosy Madugba, observed that it is honourable to die the death of the righteous.

They described Rev. Ukpai as a global voice and a unifier among ministers of the Gospel whose legacy transcends generations and emphasized that it was the first time the PFN had placed its flag on the coffin of any individual in Nigeria.

According to them, the Late Rev Dr Uma Ukpai lived a life fully yielded to God and was used to impact lives positively across the world.

Earlier in his sermon, the President of the PFN, Bishop Wale Oke, stressed the need for all to come to Christ, insisting that only a life surrendered to Jesus guarantees a righteous end.

 

Bishop Oke who spoke on the topic; “Let me die the death of the righteous”, and drew his text from the Book of Numbers 23:10 stated that while alive, Rev. Ukpai exemplified how to live and die righteously through his preaching of grace rather than mere religiosity.

He further noted that Rev. Ukpai neither served money nor corrupted the Gospel but lived a life of holiness and followed God both in deed and in doctrine. which, he said, accounted for the glory that attended his passing.

 

In a vote of thanks, the first son of the deceased, Dr Chidi Uma, on behalf of the family, expressed profound gratitude to Governor Otti and all those who attended the State burial for their support during the family’s time of grief.

He assured that the family would remain steadfast on the spiritual foundation laid by their father and pledged to uphold and continue his legacy.