Joe Effiong, Uyo
Rev Dr. Uma Ukpai is not given to fanfare or much celebration of his activities or his person, though he displays so much appreciation to God for the success of others, especially those he has assisted in one way or another to achieve their goals.
Consequently, he has turned down several awards from within and outside the country, from Christian organisations or secular entities.
But last Saturday, he personally received a unique award, incidentally, in his living room, not from a religious organisation nor any group in Akwa Ibom where he has spent his life since in the 1970s, and not from his Igbo brothers, where he is originally from, but from the North.
In a very brief and simply ceremony, which lasted less than 30 minutes, Dr. Ukpai became Gurkuwan Matasn Arewa Naijerya, said to mean Grand Patron of Northern Youths of Nigeria.
Officially known as Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, the group was led on the mission by Mr. Stephen Bidex, from Kaduna, and Salihu Yusuf, from Niger State, in company with other members of the council representing other states of the North. They said the award, known as Sir Ahmadu Bello Platinum Leadership Award, was conceived as a befitting gesture to honour worthy individuals whose attainment in life has created positive impact on the lives of the citizens, so as to encourage them to do more.
According to them, they considered Dr. Ukpai as an icon of national and international repute, who could easily be termed the solution to the leadership puzzle in Nigeria.
“To the teeming population of Nigerian youth, especially those of northern extraction, Rev Dr. Uma Ukpai is not just a mentor and role model, but a personality with integrity and unique hallmark, which for a very long time will define the phrase ‘a light at the end of the tunnel’; he has given so many years of leadership, building the nation.
“At a time when Nigerian youth are facing near relegation from the national scheme of affairs, he has continued to display youth-friendly disposition and humane care for whoever comes his way, displaying an unmatched nationalistic leadership style that has given the youth a renewed hope as leaders of tomorrow. He symbolizes the apt saying of late Sarduana of blessed memory that; ‘If men of wisdom will refuse to take leadership and write justice with black ink on white paper, ignorant men will lead and wrath injustice and anarchy in the land.’”
They praised Dr. Ukpai for his contributions to the development of the Nigerian society through his visionary leadership drive, professionalism, unclouded treatment of all and sundry and his absolute humility, making him a great achiever in nation building, community development, youth empowerment, integrity, focused leadership, education development, quality assurance as well as mentorship.
“For us youth, Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai is the ultimate symbol of a true Nigerian, where unity and love, integrity and fairness, compassion and brotherhood take a seat at the high table. He is a true representation of Sarduana’s teaching. Our amiable recipient today has worked with people from different walks of life without any form of biased treatment, which has, therefore, merited him this very important honour.”