Eyo Edet Okon (10 June 1914 – 28 September 2010) fondly called ''Akamba Ete (Great Papa)'' was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

and minister. He was the first indigenous

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and third overall National president of

The Apostolic Church Nigeria The Apostolic Church Nigeria is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in Nigeria with its national headquarters in Lagos and international headquarters in Penygroes, United Kingdom, UK. History The church has its origins in the founding of a pray ...

, a position he held until his death in 2010. favourite songs are - 1) Ata Ata Ubong eyene Abasi'o, Ubong isong emi mmowo ke'yanga ekpanga. 2) Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Ubong eyene Jehovah.

Early life and education

Eyo was born on 10 June 1914 to Chief Edet Okon Itam and Madam Aya Uda Okon Itam in Creek Town, Odukpani Local Government Area of

Cross River State Cross River State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. Named for the Cross River, the state was formed from the eastern part of the Eastern Region on 27 May 1967. The state has its capital as Calabar and is bordered to ...

. He was the fifth male and ninth child of his father's fourteen children. In 1929, Eyo obtained his Standard Six Certificate at The Church of Scotland Mission School, Creek Town. He followed in the footsteps of Essien Edet Okon, the renowned Hope Waddell Mathematics teacher (his elder brother), popularly called Okon Geometery. He began training for the teaching profession and in 1930 he obtained the basic qualification for enrolment in the teaching profession. He went on to study

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at The Apostolic Church Bible College, Pen-y-groes,

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

in the 1950s which was followed by a

Diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offi ...

in Theology from The Apostolic Bible College, Obot Idim, Uyo,

Akwa Ibom State Akwa Ibom is a States of Nigeria, state in the South South, South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. It borders Cross River State to the east, Rivers State and Abia State to the west and north-west, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. The state ...

in 1962.

Ministerial work and service

Honours : This Legendary clergy Received several honours some of which are - State honour and award as a distinguished pastor, counselor, teacher, philanthropist and influential spiritual leader for Cross River State and Akwa ibom states, October 2000 by his excellency Dr Donald Duke, then the governor of Cross River State. -Honoured by the Apostolic Church Cameroon as the pioneer Evangelist and father of the church in the Republic of Cameroon -Honored by the Apostolic Church International council Bradford, Britain (1981) -Honoured by The Apostolic Church maritime field as a field pioneer indigenous minister -Honoured by Cross River State Students in the United States of America - Honoured by the Apostolic Church United States of America (TACUSA) June 30th 2002 -Global prayer Force "Hero of faith " November 2008 -international chaplains corps (intercorps) 2009

Death

Eyo was reported to have told his immediate family members that there were five significant meetings he would conduct, insisting that he should be prepared for those meetings, this was followed by him refusing to attend to visitors so that nothing would distract him from the meetings. On 24 September 2010, he showed signs of weakness and died on 28 September 2010 in his residence in

Calabar Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria. It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjac ...

. Tributes came from government functionaries, traditional rulers and individuals for his enormous impact in the revolutionizing of Christianity in

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

. The government of Cross River State described him as ''“a pastoral icon who gave his all in the propagation and evangelization of the gospel of Christ”''. Former Governor of

Godswill Akpabio Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio (; born 9 December 1962) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is currently serving as the 10th president of the Nigerian Senate since 2023. He was first elected as Senator representing Akwa Ibom North-West Senat ...

pointed out that ''“his deep spiritual insight and dedication to what God says, marked him out as one of the pillars of Christian faith.”''

Family life

In 1937, Eyo Okon married the late Deaconess Nyong Okpo Mfon who died on 7 March 1985. He remained a widower until his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyo, Okon 1914 births 2010 deaths Nigerian Christian clergy People from Cross River State