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A SHORT HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN APOSTOLIC MISSION IN HER FIRST FIFTY YEARS OF EXISTENCE

PREAMBLE 
Christians in Ikot Ekpene town worshipped principally at the Methodist church. There was another smaller Assembly called the African Church, which soon folded up. In 1927 a spiritual movement swept through the areas between Ikot Akpa Edok and Itu. The movement was so swift and alarming in gathering members to the spiritual worship, that the two reigning Chiefs of Ikot Ekpene bring it into the town or take part in such worship.

FORMATIVE STAGE 
In 1934 one Udom Akpan Iwe who hailed from Abiakpo Ikot Essien, and was a headmaster of School, and a member in the Faith Tabernacle Church, accepted the vision of the spiritual movement. He eventually abandoned his paying employment, and started a nucleus spiritual church that was affiliated to the Apostolic Church, Headquarters at Calabar. This church was supervised by American missionaries namely: Pastors Vaughn and Evans. Many that attended the prayer meetings received the Holy Spirit and the sick were healed. It was at this time that one Udo Umo was miraculously healed and the story spread like wild fire in Ikot Ekpene.

PERSECUTION OF THE PIONEERS 
At this material time, Mr Udo Esen Obot – a Sunday School Superintendent in the then Primitive Methodist Church, who was influential in herbal healings, had established a prayer house in his residence. When Mr. Udo Udo Umo recounted the story to him, he approached Mr. Udom Akpan Iwe, and the latter told him how he had met an American missionary who prayed in his house and the Holy Spirit descended not only on him but on many others that were present during the prayer meeting. Mr Udo Esen Obot became very excited and was persuaded by practical results to join the new venture. Within the first few days of the life of the prayer band in his house along Abak Road, Madam Usua Etok Ebe was miraculously cured of acute stomach pains by prayer.

As the membership increased, the Methodist Missionaries living next door became rather apprehensive and disturbed. Leaders of the Methodist Church invited Mr. Obot to explain matters to them, Mr Obot went with his new flock to the Methodist Church and dramatically performed a short prayer in which all the members of his new fold prayed at the same time. To the Methodists, this was strange, and required no further evidence to say what difference existed between the Methodist Church and the new one. Mr Obot stood up to explain that he had seen the truth in worshipping God in spirit and must leave the Methodist Church. He, on demand handed, over the Methodist Church’s records in his possession and left with his brethren.

Many, inside the Methodist Church, and outside it including chiefs and Native Court sitting members, had taken offence of the new organization. In May 1935, one Akpan Offong Okori led the opposition against the church and the following leaders among others were summoned to appear before the Native Court, in Ikot Ekpene: Udo Esen Obot, Udom Akpan Iwe, Udo Udo Afa (Alias Udo Nem), Enyiedu Akpan Udom, Pastor John Obot.

Chief Akpan Essien Etefia was the president of the court which decided that the spiritual movement in Ikot Ekpene should cease and the new church building was to be demolished within two weeks. An appeal was made to the District Officer who upheld the judgment of the lower court. Mr. Udosen Obot  then left for Calabar to meet the Resident, Calabar Province, and thereafter filed an appeal that was heard by the latter. The Resident, in his judgment at Ikot Ekpene on the 25th day of May 1935, made it abundantly clear that anybody has the right to belong to any religious body provided it does not disturb the freedom of other people. After this, the defendants came back with a joyous song as follows: 

Jehovah Odoho nnyin ete 

Esak mmo eke esuenede mbufo 

Esak mmo Ha! Ha! Ha! (Twice) 

They therefore started the Church in full swing at his residence along Abak Road. Due to lack of space and accommodation, the Church was moved to another of his building at Esa Atan, along Old Itu Road, Ikot Ekpene. The Resident Pastor in this Church was Pastor John Obot. At this temporary site it was prophesied that the place was unsuitable. Under spiritual inspiration, a new site was shown, and it is on this piece of land that the present African Apostolic Church Headquarters building is located. It was further directed spiritually, that in commemoration of the victory of the Church in Court, the day 25th May of every year be marked as Remembrance Day. This day has been set aside as Sunday School Anniversary Celebration day.

 
EARLY SPREAD OF THE NEW ORDER BACKED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT 
It is pertinent to mention that the spiritual movement did not limit itself to Abiakpo Ikot Essien and Ikot Ekpene towns only. One Paul Nyoro, a native of Ukana Ikot Akpan, a palm wine tapper, on one ‘Offiong Eto’ market day, while on top of a raffia palm tree, received the gift of the Holy spirit and spoke in tongues. People thought that he was insane. He was flogged, and he sustained severe injuries. His relations eventually took him to Abiakpo Ikot Essien where Mr Udom Akpan Iwe prayed for him. On his return, he established a spiritual healing home and made many converts to the new organization. Prominent among them were Chief Udo Akang, who volunteered that his “famous juju” should be burnt. One Mbodi Udo Otong also received the Holy Spirit and so did Sam Umo Idang to mention a few. Chief Udo Akang accepted the new faith and took active part in all Church activities. 

Pastor Vaughn and Evans of the Apostolic, Calabar Headquarters, baptized Udom Akpan, Iwe, Udo Esen Obot, Enyiedu Akpan Udom, Udo Atai and Udo Udo Umoh among others. They ordained Udo Esen Obot and Udom Akpan Iwe as Pastors, while the others mentioned, were made elders. In 1936, the new church spread into surrounding villages namely: Utu Ikot Ekpenyong, Ikot Oto, Ikot Ubo, Ifuho, Abiakpo Edem Idim, Uruk Uso, Abak Oko, Nung Ukim and Uyo Afahia Nkan. These churches owed allegiance to the mother church at Calabar. The expatriate missionaries instituted the missionary fund, sinking fund, and tithing, and the monies so collected were sent enbloc to Calabar. No payments were made to the two pastors ordained. When these expatriates insisted that church offices could only be held by people marrying one wife this was taken as the last straw that broke the camel’s back. The Ikot Ekpene and Abiakpo Assemblies opted out of the Apostolic Church and accepted an expatriate clergy, Pastor Phillips of the Assembly of God Mission, with its headquarters at Abiakpo. A full primary school was established at Abiakpo. In the new Mission, Pastors Obot and Iwe were paid monthly wages but trouble soon arose because of tithing and the blunt refusal of most male members to marry only one wife each as instructed by the expatriate Pastor. At this juncture, the Ikot Ekpene and Uruk Uso Assemblies opted out and ultimately decided to worship without expatriate headship. 

Around this time, one Mr. Ekpenyong Okpofut a court messenger, at Odoro-Ikpe Native Court was killed. His corpse was brought down to Ikot Ekpene by his kinsmen. The Methodist Church where he once enlisted as a member refused to bury him. Bearing in mind the tragic circumstances that this man had lost his life, Pastor Udo Esen Obot ordered the Church that he was the titular head to perform the funeral rites. This singular act attracted a lot of converts to the Church. Prominent among them was one Mr. Udo Udo Akpan a cousin of the deceased who, as a court clerk in 1935, caused writs of summons to be served on leaders of the Spiritual Movements around Ndiya Native Court area. He eventually retired from Ikot Ekpene Native Administrative Service, and joined the Apostolic Church as a member. He later became the Secretary of the Ikot Ekpene Headquarters Assembly. Towards the end of 1940, Pastor Udo Esen Obot established a spiritual church at Itak Udara in Ikot Ekpene town. In 1941 Pastors Udom Akpan Iwe and Udo Esen Obot died in quick succession, and the mantle of the Church at Ikot Ekpene fell on Mr. Udo Udo Akpan. The Itak Udara Assembly shortly afterwards, came under his administration. He devoted all his energy, time and interest for the well being of the Church. It was at this stage that the Church, which incidentally was neither affiliated to the Apostolic Church nor the Assemblies of God Mission decided to have a distinct name. After exhaustive discussion in committee meetings, the name “African” was prefixed to Apostolic Church, and the name African Apostolic was unanimously adopted. Mr. Udo Udo Akpan was ordained as a Pastor in 1942.

GROWTH IN MEMBERSHIP OF THE CHURCH 
Following the woeful failure of the Ikot Ekpene Native Administration to nib the spread of the spiritual movement in the bud, the Church at Ikot Ekepene under the energetic leadership of Pastor Udo Udo Akpan expanded its activities tremendously. 

The healing home established at Ukana Ikot Akpan by Paul Nyoro had between 1935-39 attracted several converts in and around the surrounding villages. A Church was built at Ukana Ikot Akpan and the Apostolic Mission posted as a Resident Pastor there. It was from here that the Church spread to Ikot Umo Essien where the later Nathan Umana joined and received the gift of the Holy Spirit. He was later brought down to Ikot Ekpene for ordination as a pastor. The Church later spread to Afaha. Odoro Ikot and Okon clans.

UTU ETIM EKPO IN ABAK NATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE AREA 
The early Church acquired great reputation for its successful destruction of powerful ‘JUJUS’ which were manipulated by their owners as instrument of torture and blackmail. Most of their owners became converts and remained faithful to the Church doctrine. It was such success stories that attracted Mr. M. A. Okpohobo, Mr. Noah Udo Etok and Ete Isaac Udo Iko, all of them from Utu Etim Ekpo to Ikot Ekpene. They wanted spiritual men to come down to destroy a very powerful juju in their area. The Church at Ikot Ekpene responded and the team that was sent included Late Pastor Udo Udo Akpan, Late Pastor A. A. Udom, Late Mr. A. U. Akpan, Late Udo Akpan Essiet, Late Iyaro Akpan, Late Madam Essien Ikwat, Late Madam Nwa Udo Otong, Late Mr. Ekanem Atai and Late Mr. Akpan Ibanga Ukpong. They prayed in the house of one Ete Okokon and burned his juju. The Church was ultimately established there.

CALABAR ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION 
The spread to Akansoko and Obom Itiat in Calabar division in the 1950’s followed a miraculous healing of one Idaha Ndok, who hailed from Ikot Edem Udo in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area, but lived at Akansoko. The Church has since spread to other areas including Calabar township.

ABA ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISION 
Agbo hill in Aba Township between 1935-1966 was thickly populated by indigenes of Ikot Ekpene and several parts of the then Calabar province. A branch of the African Apostolic Church was established at Agbo-Aba and was directly supervised by Pastor Udo Udo Akpan.

AMAKI NDOKI 
The church at Utu Etim Ekpo also founded several branches in Utu Etim Ekpo District Court area, in Ika District Court area and a branch at Amaki Ndoki in the early 1950s.

KANO TOWNSHIP 
Pastor Akpan at the request of Ikot Ekpene indigenes resident in Kano township, opened a branch there and supervised it.

ITU AND UYO ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS 
The Church also spread to Ibiono Clan, in Itu division because of many miraculous spiritual healings of the sick. One Mr. Essien Ekanem from Itu Udo was credited to have spearheaded the spread of the Church to Ekom Iman in the 1940s. 

NDA NSIT 
There was a branch of the African Apostolic Church in Nda Nsit. As a result of a power tussle between Pastor T. U. Bassey and Pastor Udo Udo Akpan over nomination for further studies overseas in the 1940s, Pastor Bassey left the Mission with the Assemblies in Nda Nsit district but retained the name African Apostolic Church for his churches.

ESTABLISHMENTS AND PROJECTS 
PRIMARY SCHOOLS 
There were only four primary schools in Ikot Ekpene between 1935-1940 namely: The Methodists Schools, the African Church School, at Uruk Uso, the Roman Catholic School at Ifuho, and the Government School, Ikot Ekpene. 

The children of members of the African Apostolic Church were discriminated against in other mission schools, principally the Methodist Schools. They were derogatorily told to go to schools owned by their new church, or made to dance their spiritual dances or speak in tongues to the utter embarrassment of their parents. Pastor Udo Udo Akpan personally helped in securing places for some of the children in the Government School, Ikot Ekpene. These incidents spurred the African Apostolic Church not to be left out in the spread of formal education in 1940s. The Church leadership after getting useful hints from Pastor Udom Akpan Iwe, a one time school master, made a  formal application to open a primary school, to the provincial Education officer for the then Calabar province. This request was ceded. It is on record that the Church, with Pastor Udo Udo Akpan as Manager of schools, founded the African Apostolic School now known and called, Primary School Esa Atan in 1941. A second primary school was established at Ekpenyong Atai through the instrumentality and vigor of one Etim Udo, and a third at Afaha Ediene. All these schools eventually became grant-aided.

THE CHURCH ORGANIZATION 
The Church made rapid and remarkable progress between 1942 and 1956 when the General Meeting with representatives from 79 Assemblies resolved and nominated 4 persons, namely: Mr Udo Ekpo Atai, Moses Ankoh, James Etok Ebe and Effiong  Essien as Trustees who authenticated the constitution and formally applied for the African Apostolic Church to be registered as a corporate body under the land (Perpetual Succession Ordinance CAP 107). The authority of the Certificate of Incorporation No.444 dated 20th February 1957 was issued in favour of the Registered Trustees of the African Apostolic Mission, and was duly signed by the then Governor General of Nigeria, Sir James W. Robertson.

DISTRICT NO.1 
There were three main districts in the field administration, and the titular Head of the Church Pastor U. U. Akpan was designated as the Field Superintendent and School Manager. Each district was subdivided into sections. A total of Seven sections - Ikot Ekpene (Section 1), Ntong Uno, Otoro 2 (Section 5), Ekpenyong Atai (Section 6), Ekpenyong Ntak (Section 7), Ukana II (Section 14) Afaha Obong (Section 20) and Adiasim (Section 21) were placed in district No.1 with Ikot Ekpene as headquarters.

DISTRICT NO.2 
Under District No.2 were Okon (Section 2), Afaha (Section 3), Otoro 1 (Section 4), Ukana 1 (Section 9) and Odoro Ikot (Section 16). The Church at Okon served as the Headquarters for district No.2. 

DISTRICT NO.3 
District No.3 comprises Utu Etim Ekpo (Section 15), Ika No.2 (Section 18), Ikot Abia Orok (Section 17), Ikot Obio Okpoho (Section 22), Ndoki (Section 24), Ika No.1 (Section 12) with the Church at Utu Etim Ekpo as Headquarters of the district.

MINISTERIAL COUNCIL

There was a Ministerial Council that met monthly to discuss matters patterning to evangelism, posting of officers, and payments. Membership was restricted to Church officers – Pastors, Evangelists and the Church Secretary.

MISSIONARY BOARD 
At the pyramid of the Church administration was the Missionary Board which was usually presided over by the Superintendent Pastor and School Manager. Other members were Section leaders, Evangelists, the Registered Trustees, the School Committee and the Mission Secretary. This was a policy formulating body for the Mission.

THE NIGERIAN CIVIL WAR 1968-1970 
Pastor Udo Udo Akpan was captured and detained by the Biafran Army during the Nigerian Civil war in August 1968. He was released at the end of the war in January 1970. He returned to administer the churches after the war, and he died in June 1971. May his soul rest in perfect peace.

POST CIVIL WAR ORGANIZATION 
After the demise of Pastor U.U. Akpan in 1971, the mantle of leadership fell on Evangelist R. U. Udo but he preferred to work as a deputy to a brethren Mr. W.U. Ekanem who has risen to the rank of a Deputy Permanent Secretary in the then South Eastern State Public Service, and had attained the position of an elder in the Apostolic Church, headquarters at Calabar. Mr. Ekanem retired voluntarily in December 1973 and took over the administration of the African Apostolic Mission. He rose to the rank of an Apostle and assumed the titular Head of the Church as a leader. In an attempt to bring back some of the dissident assemblies before and after the civil war, he offered some of the leaders of such Assemblies, positions as Pastors or Reverend Ministers. In order to appease other loyal church leaders, they in turn were made either workers or Advisers or paid Trustees for their local assemblies. The result was that there were too many paid officers, far beyond the financial resources the Mission could cope. It was the institution of the Ten-man Finance Committee in December 1979 that saved the mission from imminent collapse. 

The Church continued to be administered in the same pattern that was established by the Late Pastor U.U. Akpan. Instead of Church Districts, the nomenclature, “Group” was substituted. A fourth Group comprising Calabar Assembly (Section 8) and Akansoko (Section 24) with the Assembly at No.5 Edet Otoro Street as Headquarters emerged in 1978. In 1981, a fifth group comprising Otoro I (Section 4) and Otoro II (Section 5) were carved out from Group I and II respectively to form the new Group. Abak Ukpom Assembly became the Group 5 headquarters. When Okon (Section 2) decided to leave the Mission in December 1982, the headquarters of Group 11 went to Ukana Ikot Akpan in July 1983. This was the church founded by Paul Nyoro.

THE AREA COUNCIL 
This has remained the top policy organ in respect of Church Evangelism and doctrine, including deployment of Pastors, Rev. Ministers etc. It exercises disciplinary powers (original jurisdiction) over members of the clergy and acts as Court of Appeal in respect of other disciplinary matters and disputes. 

THE TEN-MAN FINANCE COMMITTEE 
This was set up in December 1979 with Ete U. E. Attai as chairman to oversee proper collection and disbursement of Church funds. A situation where the clergy is not responsible for disbursement of funds makes for proper accountability.

THE MISSIONARY BOARD 
The Board as reconstituted in December 1981 comprises ten members of the clergy and members of the Ten-man Finance Committee. The clergy included: Rev. Apostle W.U. Ekanen (chairman), Rev. Apostle R. U. Udom (Deputy), Rev. Apostle M.A. Okphobo, Rev. Apostle S.E. Ukpong, Rev. Apostle S.J. Ekanem (Secretary), Rev. Apostle S.U. James, Rev. Apostle O.O. Akpan, Rev. Minister U. A. Akpan (Council Prophet), Rev. W. E. A. Udom and Rev. Minister H.U. Inyang. Members of the ten-man finance committee comprises: Ete U.E. Atai (Chairman), Rev. J. Isaac (Vice chairman), Rev. G.A. Ekanem (Secretary), Presiding Elder M.J.U Idiong (Assistant Secretary) Presiding Elder P.U. Akang (Auditor), Ete Sam Umonya (deceased), and Ete Jeremiah Umoren – members. The Board has remained the top policy organ (excepting in matters concerning Church evangelism, and doctrine) for the African Apostolic Mission. 

Rev. Apostle R.U Udom became the Field Superintendent Pastor and titular head of the Church following the resignation of Rev. Apostle W.U Ekanem on 1st October 1983. Rev. M.A. Okpohobo was formally appointed as his deputy in December 1984. The African Apostolic Mission under his leadership is currently undergoing systematic consolidation, and very soon shall take its rightful place among other church denominations in Nigerian, nay the world council of churches. 

The African Apostolic Mission Secretariat 
Esa Atan Road 
P.O. Box 779 
Ikot Ekpene 
Akwa Ibom State.