Gov Alex Otti of Abia on Tuesday consoled the Christian community and the family of Late Rev. Uma Ukpai, whose death was announced on Monday.
The message is contained in a statement by the Special Adviser to Otti on Media and Publicity, Ferdinand Ekeoma, in Umuahia.
Ukpai, the founder of Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, passed away at the age of 80.
Ekeoma quoted the governor as praying that God would give his family the courage to accept his exit and uphold the enduring fire of glory he ignited in the vineyard of the Lord.
“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,” he said.
Otti eulogised Ukpai as one of Abia’s most impactful and celebrated religious ambassadors and a soldier of Christ whose death meant transitioning to be with the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Otti said he received with sadness the news of the passing of the revered man of God, some hours after his family announced his passing.
Otti recalled the father-son relationship that existed between him and Dr Uma Ukpai over the years.
He described his exit as devastating because of the massive vacuum it had created in Christendom, the state and the country.
The governor said Ukpai was the father of all, a soldier of Christ and a generational teacher, who yielded himself to Christ and became a potent instrument for healing of the sick.
He said Ukpai’s ministerial focus was the salvation of souls, fulfillment of the scriptures and manifestation of the prophesies of God.
“His death is devastating because of the positive influence he wielded; the positive impacts he made, the lives he touched in very special ways, and above all, the vacuum his exit has created.”
Otti, while regretting that Papa Uma Ukpai passed on when his services to God and humanity were still being enjoyed, said his death was a journey to Higher Glory.
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