Apostle Okuyak Uwah was born on the 20th of May in 1942.  He is the 180th apostle according to the order of ordinations in the New Apostolic Church and the first apostle to be ordained for Nigeria.  
Apostle Okuyak Uwah was born in the small village of Atan Offat in Fourtowns, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, as the fifth of twelve children.  His parents, who belonged to a Christian church, lived in modest circumstances, yet they made every effort to give their children at least a school education.  Because his parents could not afford the funds necessary for a secondary school, he paid for two dollars a month and free food as a store boy.  Seven months later , he was able to accept a position as a teacher, which his older brother had given him, but he had to give up this teaching job after only two years because higher qualifications were required.  During this time, however, he completed various accounting courses so that in 1959 he was able to find a job as an accountant in a company in Uyo, which was linked to a secure income.  In all these years, he was very active in his church with his parents.  From time to time the clergyman also asked him to read certain writings in worship and prayer.  His father was a very pious christian; he was one of the most eager of the church in his town. Every morning he was waking them up at five o'clock, and shortly thereafter he gathered them in their large living room for prayer. They usually sang two or three songs, then read some verses in the Bible, and then two or three of them prayed. They had to do this every morning;in the long run, however, he found no spiritual satisfaction in his parents' church, which is why he joined another religious community in 1962. After a one-year membership, he gave up his position as an accountant and worked as a professor for this church. For that he received ten dollars a month, a quarter of his salary as an accountant! His family members were quite upset because they thought he would be a big burden for the whole family. So they urged him to reverse the matter, but finally abandoned their efforts when they realized that he was not misled. After two years, the head of this church, on the grounds of his obedience, his willing succession, and his love for the souls entrusted to him, supported a scholarship for a three-year study at a theological academy. When this time was over, He began to hold worship services with his five brothers at home in their living room. They prayed to God to send them many souls, but also to make a building site for a church so that they might soon have a worthy place of worship. Shortly thereafter, they came together with people who had previously belonged to another religious community, but had fallen away from their church. They followed their invitation to come to them, and from now on they were able to hold their services in their church, which he repaired at his expense. It was a poor old building, made of mud walls and a thatched roof. From then on, they had grown strongly, so that their community grew to ten communities over the next three years. They gave their community the name "Church of the Living God".  Although the number of believers grew constantly, He was not satisfied with the spiritual condition of their communities. That is why He wanted to attend a mission meeting, which was held in California / USA in January 1975. He spent all his savings on the trip to this conference, which he hoped for more spiritual food for his members. His funds were enough for a simple ticket, and a few hundred dollars remained for lodging and other expenses. But it was in the will of God that he should travel. In general, you do not get a visa for the United States if you can not show a return ticket. But he still got one! When he arrived in New York, he had difficulties with the immigration authorities. After two hours of interrogation, his passport was withheld, saying that he should hand it back to his destination in San Diego. He was lousy again, but he was asked how he had come just with a visa with a single ticket at all. He was nevertheless granted a three-week residence permit. In the foyer of the hotel in San Diego, where he had settled, he was then addressed one day by a couple. "We are looking for someone to give this piece of cake to," they said, "but no one wants it. Would you like to eat it?" When he accepted with thanks, the man gave him an invitation card from the New Apostolic Church in Glendale, California. On the back of this card he noted, "This man gave me a piece of cake!" At the conference I received over two hundred cards. Some of the patrons whom he met at the conference received a grant for his return flight. During the session, he prayed incessantly: "Dear God, lead me into a deeply religious community, for I need more than money!" When he was back home, he prayed again, "Lord, I have brought so many cards. The first answer I will get from the circle of the first ten communities that I will write is to be a reference to the one for Which thou hast made for me, and I will remain faithful. " After three weeks he found in his post two copies of the booklet "Testimony of the New Apostolic Church". They came from the circle of the first ten he had written! He immediately wrote to the sender - it was the head of the church of Glendale! After writing twice, he received a letter from Apostle Wagner confirming the receipt of his letters and assuring him that he would still answer him. In August 1975, Apostel Wagner came to Nigeria, accompanied by the district of Goecks. He stayed two weeks in which he made them acquainted with the New Apostolic Church. On 31/08/1975  Apostle Erwin Wagner came to Four Towns, Uyo / Nigeria, he baptised and sealed him  and ordained him a priest. Later he received expanded offices until Chief Apostle  Ernst Streckeisen in Basel / Switzerland on 19/02/1978 ordained him as the 180th apostle of the new apostolic international  and the first for Nigeria.
During the thirty years of activity of the apostle Uwah he served with great humility and fidelity, so that in his home state of Akwa Ibom the New Apostolic Church does not need an introduction, many people know about the church and the state has the most numbers of new apostolic christians in Nigeria. 
 
Ordinations
* August 31, 1975 Priest by Apostle Erwin Wagner
* November 23, 1975 Evangelist by Apostle Erwin Wagner
* 03 May 1976 District Evangelist by District Apostle Michael Kraus
* November 13, 1977 District Elder by Apostle Wilbert Vovak
* 19 February 1978 Apostle by Chief Apostle Ernst Streckeisen in Basel, Switzerland
* November 18, 2008 retirement by chief apsotle W.Leber in Uyo, Fourtowns, his home congregation .