UZERE, DELTA STATE — It was a day of joy, thanksgiving and jubilation in Uzere Kingdom, Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, on 29 August 2026, as family members, church leaders, friends and well-wishers gathered to honour the former LAWMNA Territorial Chairman and National Vice-President Emeritus of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Pastor (Dr) Senior Gabriel Okpako Uyeh, and his wife.
The gathering marked Baba Uyeh’s peaceful retirement after 62 years of dedicated service to God through The Apostolic Church Nigeria. Christian leaders from different denominations and church members travelled to Uzere to celebrate the veteran cleric.

Speaking during the Thanksgiving Service, Baba Uyeh expressed satisfaction with the programme and gratitude to God for His faithfulness and preservation throughout his ministerial journey.
He described the 62-year journey as one filled with triumphs and trials, noting that despite difficult moments, God remained faithful to him, his wife and their family.

“The journey was smooth, rough, slippery and thorny, but the Lord sustained us through it all. My greatest joy today is that I am alive, my children are here and even grandchildren have joined us to celebrate God’s faithfulness,” he said.

Faithful service attracts divine rewards
The officiating pastor and LAWMNA Administrative Secretary, Pastor E.O. Abe (PhD), delivered a sermon titled “Forget Not His Benefits”, emphasising the rewards that come with unwavering commitment to God’s service.

Pastor Abe described Baba Uyeh and his wife as exemplary Christian leaders whose lives and ministry should inspire believers to remain faithful despite life’s challenges.
“Sixty-two years in ministry is not a joke. Through thick and thin, rivers and valleys, our Daddy and Mummy have remained faithful in the service of God. Their lives testify that God never forgets those who faithfully serve Him,” he said.

Continue Baba Uyeh’s legacy
The Ikotun Area Superintendent of The Apostolic Church Nigeria, Pastor J.I. Ekpeboro, challenged Baba Uyeh’s children, spiritual sons and daughters, and other beneficiaries of his mentorship to sustain his legacy.
He urged them to invest in younger generations and pass on the values and principles they learnt from Baba Uyeh.
“Every successful leader without a successor has not completed his assignment. Those he has built should also build others, just as he has built us,” Ekpeboro said.

Baba Uyeh reaches out to orphanages
As part of the celebration, Baba Uyeh visited two orphanage homes in the Oleh and Irri axis, where food items, other relief materials and cash donations were presented to complement the efforts of the homes’ management.

Novelty match ends 1–1
The celebration also featured a novelty football match organised by The Apostolic Church Nigeria in honour of Pastor Dr Senior Gabriel Okpako Uyeh. The match between youths from Ozoro Area and Oleh Area ended in a 1–1 draw, adding excitement to the celebration.

Foundation promotes peace-building
Another highlight was the fourth edition of the S.G.O. Uyeh Foundation public lecture series, held at Dantinajo Resort, Oleh. The lecture examined the role of the Church in peace-building, conflict resolution and sustainable development.

The keynote speaker, Dr John Oghenekvwe Ifaka, Head of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at Glorious Vision University, Ogwa, Edo State, spoke on: “The Responsibility of the Christian Body in Community Building and Conflict Resolution: Integrating Biblical Principles with Good Governance for Sustainable Development.”

Dr Ifaka noted that Nigeria, particularly the Niger Delta, continued to face security and governance challenges, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, separatist agitations, herder-farmer conflicts, illegal oil bunkering, artisanal refining and inter-community disputes.

He said the challenges had contributed to poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment, stressing that the Church could not remain indifferent.

He said the legacy of Niger Delta militancy, insecurity linked to illegal oil bunkering and artisanal refining, and disputes over land ownership and political representation among the Isoko, Urhobo, Ijaw and Itsekiri peoples required urgent intervention from Christian bodies.

Dr Ifaka maintained that Nigeria was not a failed state, saying its abundant human and natural resources had been hindered by poor leadership and ineffective management.

Quoting the Scriptures, including Amos 5:21–24, he challenged Christian leaders to move beyond preaching and become active agents of justice, reconciliation and community transformation.
“A Church that prays for peace on Sunday while ignoring land disputes, environmental degradation, youth unemployment and governance failures throughout the week has fundamentally misunderstood the God it claims to serve,” he said.

Christian leaders call for peace
Contributing to the lecture, Rt. Rev. Benjamin Idume (PhD) urged Christian leaders to embrace their biblical responsibility as peacemakers by promoting justice, dialogue and reconciliation within their communities.

The Chairman of the occasion, Elder Celestine Peter Akpan, lamented the growing persecution of Christians across the globe and called on believers to remain steadfast in propagating the Gospel despite prevailing challenges.

He commended Baba Uyeh and his wife for establishing the S.G.O. Uyeh Foundation, describing it as an important platform for strengthening Christian values, promoting peace and inspiring people to embrace the Christian faith.

Earlier, the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the S.G.O. Uyeh Foundation, Dr (Mrs) Joy Orevaoghene Nwaezeigwe, noted that economic hardship, moral decadence and communal conflicts had heightened the need for the Church to serve as a force for peace and reconciliation.

She commended Baba Uyeh for his exemplary leadership, humility, spiritual depth, wisdom and fatherly guidance, and prayed that God Almighty would grant him many more years of good health and continued impact.

The celebration honoured 62 years of faith, sacrifice, service and mentorship, while calling a new generation to continue Baba Uyeh’s legacy.