THE Annang Royal Family of Nto Udo Ukuk, Ikot Udoe, in Ikot Ekpene Local Council Area of Akwa Ibom State has lost one of their loved ones, Major Alexander Akpabio Udom Udofa Udo Ukut.

Born on March 15, 1933, he was the first son of the family. He attended Methodist College, Uzuokoli; St. Patrick’s College, Calabar; and Defence Information School, Fort Benjamin, Harrison, Military University, Indianapolis, United States of America for a post graduate diploma in Mass Communication.

He started life as a teacher in 1955 at Ngwa High School, Aba, and taught in such schools as Holy Family College, Abak, and was one of the pioneer teachers at Tai Solarin’s Mayflower School, Ikene, in Ogun State.

Ukut’s quest to become a trained journalist took him to the Daily Service Training Centre in 1958. He rose to become Assistant Editor of the same newspaper two years later in 1960. He was posted to Accra, Ghana, as foreign correspondent to cover West and East Africa, during which he was involved in the nationalist movements in Ghana, Benin Republic, Tanzania, Congo, Togo and the Organisation of Africa Unity (OAU), now African Union.

On return to Nigeria, the Nigerian Tribune employed him as Features Editor. He capped his media experience by working for Daily Times of Nigeria and the Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation, now FRCN.

At the outbreak of the Nigerian civil war, the federal military government of General Yakubu Gowon in February 1968 commissioned him as a captain in the Nigeria Army to establish the Public Relations Corp of the Nigerian Army and posted him to the Second Division, Onitsha/Asaba sector. Since he was in the war front, he sustained injury and was hospitalised. On recovery, he recommended to the military authority the establishment of intelligence unit as part of Public Relations Corps in the Nigerian Army as a tool to win the war. This recommendation was approved and he was posted to Nigerian Army Headquarters, first as Commanding Officer, Provost Brigade (Military Police). He was later promoted to a Major and appointed the Director, Military Public Relations/Intelligence Corp, Nigerian Arm Headquarters Lagos in 1974.

The late Ukut retired from the Army in December 1975 and was involved in transition to civil rule programme. He was the chairman, Cross River State branch of National Advance Party (NAP) and was the governorship candidate of the party in 1979. He later joined the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). In 1980, he established the Nigerian Gong newspaper in Calabar serving as the Publisher, Managing Director and Editor-in-chief.

When he passed on January 16, 2013, at 80 years, he was still active in politics, journalism, Public Relations, military and civil intelligence as consultant to Cross River State government, M15, UK, Defense Information Agency, and Directorate of Military Intelligence, among others.