Gabriel Agbo | Uma Ukpai: The exit of God’s field marshal

IN THE evening of the second day of that crusade at Woji, Port-Harcourt, organised by AG Woji section, I watched as he casually announced how many people that would be healed that night and the nature of their sicknesses. And before he could finish the announcement, the people began to fall one after the other as they received their instant healing.

In fact, as usual, he was helping the ushers to count those that received their healing until he got the initial numbers he announced. And he would always tell you that God will touch you whether you believe or not, that His faith and grace will override your unbelief.

In the last 50 years, millions were healed, raised, delivered and saved by God through the uncommon apostolic, evangelistic ministry of Rev Dr Uma Ukpai. In fact, it will take a whole library to properly document the life, activities and ministrations of this greatest apostle from Africa and one of the most powerful that the world has known.

And the strangest thing about this man of God was that all those years, the grace, the power, the miracles, signs and wonders, prophetic, integrity upon him did not fade for once, and also, there were no scandals trailing him. What was his secret?

TOP GENERALS

Yes, the Christendom just lost one of its top generals, in fact, a field marshal who has taken the gospel with extraordinary power and grace to most nations of the world. There is no continent that did not benefit from this spectacular ministry. Even when China was too tight, he was risking his life to smuggle the gospel and Bibles into the country.

He told a story of a particular day he was about going into the country and the immigration officers asked to scan his luggages. He had some copies of Bible there. He was led to start speaking in tongues and immediately, their scanning machines develop faults.

They looked at him and asked him if he was a witch doctor and quickly allowed him to go. Such strange divine presence characterised his global evangelistic operations. Those Bibles, if discovered, would have given him at least a 20-year jail term in China then.

Since his passing, religious and political leaders from in and out of Nigeria have been pouring tributes to the fearless fiery preacher. Pastor Enoch Adeboye of the Redeemed Christian Church of God paid glowing tributes to Uma as he counted what he gained from the man of God.

He said that from Uma Ukpai he learned to praise God before every ministration in order to draw down the power and the presence of God. He also said that he drew strength from Uma’s experience when he (Adeboye) lost his son recently.

Remember, Rev Uma Ukpai after losing his children who drowned in a river, still proceeded to preach in an already fixed evangelistic programme. Dr Daniel Olukoya of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles, on his part, asked his congregation to sing with him three of the Uma signature songs.

A MAN OF SONGS

Yes, he was a man of songs, a grateful heart. He always remembered where God picked him from. This is the kind of relationships, integrity, respect and influence Dr Ukpai had with other church leaders and ministries. He never discriminated. There is no denomination that he did not touch. He was indeed the general of the generals. That is exactly why I called him the field marshal!

Despite his greatness, connections and global reach, he was still very loyal to his primary church – Assemblies of God Nigeria. He always prioritised AG General Council assignments. I remember once we had a national programme and he was posted to preach in our Ikeja church.

He excused himself from his already running programme in Abuja, just to obey the AG church leadership. I took him straight from the airport that Sunday morning to the church. And when he was done, he asked us to immediately take him to the airport to catch his flight back to Abuja to continue his crusade. That was how obedient, dedicated and loyal he was to Assemblies of God till death.

Papa Uma Ukpai was an encyclopaedia of the word of God and wisdom – ever ready to pour out scriptures, create and play with words to qualify his preaching without opening the Bible. He was a mobile Bible himself. He will also tell you that if you are not praying for at least three hours and reading chapters of the Bible daily, then you have not started as a Christian.

Yes, strange, uncommon demonstration of power, signs and wonders followed Uma’s ministry for more than five decades. His was a generational anointing. He was in the order of Elijah. And that is why most people are curious about who takes over his very unusual mantle. May the soul of our father the Rev Dr Uma Ukpai, continue to rest in peace! Good night God’s field marshal!

Rev Gabriel Agbo is an author. Email: gabrielagbo@yahoo.com.