Senate President Godswill Akpabio has shared a personal testimony of his wife's miraculous recovery through the intercession of Padre Pio. Akpabio revealed that his wife, Mrs. Unoma Akpabio, spent six months in a coma in a German hospital after a medical procedure went wrong. He said that despite being 98% dead, his wife miraculously woke up after he prayed to the Virgin Mary and asked Padre Pio to intercede for her.
Akpabio recounted the incident during a visit to the Prayer Ground of St Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy. He said that he and other Nigerians prayed for peaceful general elections in 2027 and for an end to banditry and terrorism in Nigeria. The Senate President described the prayer ground as a holy site for adherents and followers of Padre Pio, and expressed his gratitude for the saint's intercession in his wife's recovery.
According to Akpabio, his faith in Padre Pio's intercession was strengthened by his wife's miraculous recovery. He said that he used a picture of Padre Pio to make the sign of the cross on his wife, and prayed to the Virgin Mary to ask Padre Pio to intercede for her. Akpabio added that his wife spent a further three months in hospital after regaining consciousness before she could remember his name and those of their children.
The Senate President said that this was his 10th time visiting the prayer ground, and that he and his family had honoured Padre Pio by giving one of their sons the baptismal name Pio. Akpabio also said that they established the Pio Football Academy to train and provide scholarships for disadvantaged children from the age of nine through university.
Padre Pio, formally known as St Pio of Pietrelcina, was an Italian Capuchin priest widely associated with prayer, repentance, compassion for the sick, and service to the poor. Catholics also revere him for the stigmata – the wounds resembling those of Christ's crucifixion – which he was believed to have borne. He was canonised by Pope John Paul II in 2002.
Akpabio's visit to the prayer ground was part of a delegation of Nigerians who sought God's blessings for themselves, their families, and the country. The Senate President said that they were fulfilled to have touched the holy ground and presented their intentions, which Padre Pio would take to God on their behalf.
The delegation prayed for peaceful general elections in 2027 and for an end to banditry and terrorism in Nigeria. Akpabio expressed his gratitude for Padre Pio's intercession in his wife's recovery, and said that he would continue to seek the saint's prayers for himself, his family, and the country.
Key points
- Akpabio credits Padre Pio's intercession for his wife's miraculous recovery.
