Dubai: Veteran Emirati journalist Ibrahim Al Abed, adviser to the Chairman of the UAE’s National Media Council (NMC), died today after 42 years of devoted work in the UAE media industry.
Al Abed served as the adviser to the Chairman of the UAE’s National Media Council (NMC) until he passed away after almost five decades of dedication and contribution to the evolution of the Emirati media landscape.
Al Abed joined the Ministry of Information in 1975 and contributed to establishing the UAE News Agency (WAM) in 1977. He held several posts throughout his career, including the director general of NMC and later, the adviser to the Chairman of NMC.
Known for his professionalism and faithfulness, Al Abed played a major role in shaping the media landscape throughout his long and close association with the industry, and close ties with UAE leaders.
He was one of the pioneers of the UAE media. Al Abed worked closely with Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was NMC’s first Chairman, and then with Saqr Ghobash and Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, and later with Dr Sultan Al Jaber, playing an important role in the UAE media.
Al Abed worked day and night to develop UAE media, especially in the early days of the foundation of the UAE. Throughout his 42-year career, Al Abed continued to demonstrate his passion for the field and his keenness to remain abreast with the changing times.
He remained faithful to journalism and its ethics, inspired by the principle laid by the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan about establishing a conciliatory and interactive media that serves the goals of the nation and its future.
With a high sense of professionalism and morale, Al Abed represented the true pulse of the generation of the Union, with a conscience that said media is a constructive tool, and a source of awareness in the UAE society. He believed in Arabism and had the ability, audacity, and creativity to serve its issues, empowered by his philosophy and intellect, which qualified him to live the nation’s triumphs and touch its needs, pains and achievements.
Al Abed was a true example of how authentic and committed media person should be.
