Abu Dhabi: A sense of determination unleashed by founder President late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan helped this young nation make the impossible possible, according to Ebrahim Abdul Rahman Al Abed, who has been serving the UAE government for past 42 years.
Shaikh Zayed used his own will and determination to turn this barren piece of land into a developed nation, Al Abed, who received Abu Dhabi Awards for media development in the UAE, told Gulf News in an interview on Tuesday.
He said Shaikh Zayed’s determination was always accompanied by sincerity, honesty and affiliation with people, which became core values of this nation.
Al Abed said his thrust on heritage and culture reflected in Shaikh Zayed’s famous statement: “A nation without a past is a nation without a present or a future.”
The former director-general of the National Media Council (NMC), Al Abed is currently an adviser to the NMC. “I consider sincerely and honestly that this award is not for me. This award is for everyone with whom I worked during the past 42 years.”
He said the credit went to all people, from his office assistants to editors-in-chief of all media outlets, other media professionals, including the visiting journalists.
As the official who started the Emirates News Agency (WAM), he oversaw the progress of the multi-lingual news agency that acts as the official source of UAE news globally.
Under his leadership, the WAM earned many accolades.
The Abu Dhabi Award recognised that his tireless dedication throughout the past four decades played a major role in preserving, promoting and enhancing the image of the UAE locally, regionally and internationally. He supervised the editing of the UAE Year Book and other publications.
Al Abed had done his masters from the American University of Beirut with a major in Political Studies and Public Administration. He won several awards, including the Arab Media Personality of the Year Award in the 13th Arab Media Forum in 2014 and the Taryam Omran Journalism Award in 2007.
He said he was honoured to work with several ministers such as Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Ahmad Bin Hamid, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mubarak, Khalfan Al Roumi, Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, who gave him valuable directions in his career.
