By Nsan Ndoma-Neji
The Methodist Church Nigeria, Archdiocese of Calabar, has rolled out drums to honour one of its most impactful sons, Rt. Rev. Dr. Barr. Otuekong Ukut Esq., whose journey from church planter to Archbishop-elect captures the true meaning of an enduring legacy.
He has been aptly described as “the man behind the wonders,” a leader whose greatness is not measured by titles but by “the lives he have touched, the institutions he joined hands with other to built, and the enduring footprints he had left behind.”
His legacy as a church planter was defined by rare spiritual sight. The eulogy in his honour notes that “where others may see an empty field, he sees a sanctuary waiting to be built. Where others see a community without a Methodist presence, he sees an opportunity for the Gospel to take root.” This vision became his mission – to take Methodism to virgin fields and raise altars where none existed.
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That missionary passion translated into concrete growth. From planting local churches, Rev. Dr. Otuekong Esq. nurtured them into viable Circuits and midwifed those Circuits into Dioceses. Many congregations that began as his visionary steps of faith today stand as strong, self-sustaining churches, evidence of a planter who does not abandon what he plants.
The second layer of his enduring legacy is that of a builder and kingdom investor. The Church attests that behind many beautiful edifices of Methodism “is the generosity and sacrificial intervention of Rt. Rev. Dr. Barr. Otuekong Ukut.” For him, “a church building is more than blocks, pillars, roofs and beautiful architecture. It is a testimony that somebody believed enough to build for the future.”
His commitment went beyond his own Diocese. As a lawyer, philanthropist and prelate, he understood that “sometimes the difference between a dream and its fulfilment is simply someone willing to believe in the dream and invest in it.”
This philosophy saw him acquire lands, sponsor building projects and rescue church projects that would have otherwise stalled.
Beyond physical structures, his legacy is institutional. He espoused and lived the principle that “the Church must not merely exist; the Church must develop, advance and become stronger” so that future generations would meet a stronger Methodism than the present. His significant contributions to major developmental projects across the Church have been cited as proof of this forward-looking commitment.
Perhaps his most enduring legacy is as a raiser of men and destiny helper. Rev. Dr. Otuekong Esq. holds firmly that “when you train a minister, you are not merely investing in one person; you are investing in every life that minister will eventually touch.”
In demonstration, he once single-handedly sponsored “the training of five ministers from one Local Church,” an act the Church describes as kingdom investment at its finest.
Today, as he ascends from church planter to Archbishop, his mentees stand as living monuments of his legacy.
One of them, Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Udom, who rose from Deacon to Bishop-elect under his mentorship, describes him as “a visionary, a builder, a sponsor, a mentor, a kingdom investor and a blessing to Methodist Church Nigeria.”
His emergence as Archbishop is therefore not just a promotion, but a fitting crown for a legacy that has endured and will endure.
