The late Rev. Dr Uma Ukpai, evangelist and philanthropist, who was laid to rest on March 26, 2026, was at the weekend immortalised in his Asaga Ohafia community with the unveiling of a life-sized statue of him.
The Asaga Ohafia Development Union (ADU) said the monument was erected at Onuogo Eziukwu Village Square, the exact spot where Uma Ukpai began the famous Asaga Solemn Assembly, to immortalise a man they called “God’s General”.
Born in Asaga Ohafia in 1945, Uma Ukpai founded the Asaga Solemn Assembly, held every January 1, where thousands gathered for prayers, healing, and deliverance.
The ADU National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Stanley Mba, while peaking on Saturday, April 11, said the union, led by Chief Okpa Ibekwem Okpa, took the decision because of Uma Ukpai’s “enormous contributions” to Asaga Ukwu and humanity.
Mba said the annual event transformed the spiritual and economic life of the community and also credited Uma Ukpai with establishing a hospital and a polytechnic in the area, describing them as “living testaments to a man whose compassion knew no bounds”.
“Rev. Dr Uma Ukpai was more than a preacher. He was a father, a healer, and a builder of men,” Mba declared. “For decades he gave free medical care, delivered the oppressed, and kept our youths busy with football competitions that took them off the streets.”
DrumAfricanews reports learnt that the statue was sculpted by Chief Chikezie Ukaha, ADU 1st Vice President and President, Ohafia Improvement Union, Umuahia Branch.
“His legacy lives in the lives he touched, the institutions he built, and the hope he gave us,” Mba said. “We will not let his fire die. Asaga will carry on his mission,” Mba said.
