Refined by Fire: The Price Uma Ukpai Paid for Power

When God calls His vessel for His service, it comes with a huge price. His calling is not for the weak or the fainthearted, but for the courageous and fearless—those who will anchor their faith on Him and remain unshaken even when the raging storm seems unending.

Rev. Uma Ukpai was refined in the crucible of adversity, struggles, trials, and temptations, and God crowned him with great anointing and power.

He was born on January 7, 1945, in Asaga, Ohafia, Abia State. At the age of 10, he lost his father. While describing how his father’s death nearly impaired his growth and development, he said, “I know what it means to lose a father and be a father from that age. I know what it is to save money to pay school fees. So, I have feelings for the poor. I learned early enough to know that the stone Satan throws at you can become a stepping stone.”

Uma Ukpai attended Uma Ukpai Memorial Primary School, Asaga, which was later renamed after him. After his father’s death in 1955, his uncle took him to Ogoni in Rivers State, where he enrolled at Khana County Council School.

He had his first deliverance experience there. One day, a madman named Deco came to the school and chased everyone away. As all the students fled, including Uma, the Spirit of God said to him, “You can also sack the madman.” Uma stood back and commanded the man to leave. Immediately, the man regained his sanity. Uma was just 10 years old at the time and had not yet been born again.

After completing primary school, he proceeded to All Saints Secondary School, Aba. There, he was introduced to the Assemblies of God Church, where he gave his life to Christ at the age of 17. Later, he enrolled at Niger Delta Technical School, now Boys Technical College, Aba.

To survive, Uma worked many jobs while growing up. With no support from his extended family, he relied on God’s grace to raise enough money to study abroad.

He moved to the United Kingdom and obtained a diploma in Journalism at the School of Journalism and Television in Frisham, Hermitage. He also attended South Florida Christian College in Miami, USA. While in Florida, friends invited him to minister in different states, including Yongi Cho’s convention. That was how his ministry began.

After his studies, he returned to Nigeria and founded the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association (UUEA) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

In 1975, he married his wife, Philomena. Their marriage was blessed with eight children and one adopted child. Sadly, he lost two of his children in a car accident on the same day.

In 1985, armed robbers attacked his printing press one morning and carted away his printing machine and other equipment. Two months later, while traveling to his village for a crusade, his car fell off a bridge and plunged into a river. While Uma and his wife miraculously survived, their two children and two cousins drowned.

While retrieving the bodies, news came that his ministry bus—conveying members to a burial—had also been involved in an accident. By God’s grace, no one died. Despite all these tragedies, Rev. Uma still went on to preach at the crusade.

Through UUEA, he has held many citywide crusades across Nigeria. In 1982, he organized the Greater Ibadan for Christ Crusade, attracting hundreds of thousands of attendees. The crusade was marked by miracles—the dumb spoke, the lame walked, and the blind received their sight.

In 1985, he held the Greater Lagos for Christ Crusade, which also drew a massive crowd. It was during this crusade that the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) was born.

In 2012, he held a crusade in Nsukka. From 2016 to 2018, he hosted the annual Anioma One-Million Man Crusade. Both events featured tremendous miracles, healings, and deliverances.

He currently organizes the Greater Ohafia for Christ Crusade every year.

At one point, he developed an intestinal problem due to continuous fasting. He vomited blood whenever he opened his mouth. He prayed, but God told him the healing would not come yet. Despite his condition, he had a crusade scheduled in Togo.

The doctor recommended surgery but warned that the chances of survival were uncertain. Rev. Uma declared he would rather die on the pulpit than on a hospital bed.

He went to Togo, ministered for four days, and did not vomit once. God moved powerfully, and many people received healing. On the final day, while in his hotel room, he asked God for healing. God instructed him to eat garri when he got back to Nigeria—ironically, a food his doctor had forbidden.

When he returned home, he asked his daughter to prepare garri. Though his wife resisted, Uma insisted he was acting on divine instruction. After eating it, he was completely healed.

Rev. Uma Ukpai is also committed to medical outreach. He is the chairman of Uma Ukpai Eye Centre and King of Kings Hospital, which serves communities across Abia, Akwa Ibom, and Cross River States.

He is the proprietor of the Uma Ukpai School of Theology and Biblical Studies, Uyo; Uma Ukpai Polytechnic, Asaga; the Uma Ukpai Scholarship Foundation; and the Joseph Business School, an affiliate of the school in Chicago, USA.

The life and ministry of Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai stand as a testament to the power of unwavering faith and divine calling. Despite facing numerous trials and personal tragedies, he emerged not only as a survivor but as a vessel through whom God has worked extraordinary miracles. His journey—from pain to purpose—continues to inspire millions around the world.