Salim Obaid Al Alelee was aged just 12 when he started working at the Ajman radio station, earning him the title of ‘the first and youngest radio broadcaster in the emirate of Ajman’. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
Salim Obaid Al Alelee was aged just 12 when he started working at the Ajman radio station, earning him the title of ‘the first and youngest radio broadcaster in the emirate of Ajman’. Jeffrey E BitengShow more

Emirati helped launch Ajman’s first radio station more than half a century ago



AJMAN // When Salim Obaid Al Alelee speaks, people listen. The Emirati mastered the art of conversation at a young age, which made him the perfect person to take the microphone to launch Ajman’s first radio station more than 50 years ago.

“My friend and relative Rashid bin Abdullah had the idea of making a radio station in 1961. He started installing the equipment consisting of radio, dry battery, wires, mike and gramophone,” the 66-year-old said.

“He told me he had succeeded in creating the station at a time when there was no [local] radio station except British broadcasting in Sharjah, because we were under British protection at that time.

“He wanted me to be the presenter on air because I was educated and able to read and write,” said Mr Al Alelee, who studied at Quranic schools in Ajman before in 1958 enrolling at one of the first government schools to open, where he learnt English.

Mr Al Alelee was just 12 when he started working at the radio station, earning him the title of “the first and youngest radio broadcaster in the emirate of Ajman”.

The youngster's first words on air were "Ajman Broadcasting is here". He presented a music programme called As Requested by Listeners, reading political news about the ruler of the emirate and regularly hosted religious scholars and poets.

When Ajman Station closed in 1965, Mr Al Alelee became chairman of Al Nasser Sports Club, the first club of its kind in Ajman.

After a decade at the club, he left to take a government job at the Labour and Workers Department in Abu Dhabi. He also worked as a receptionist, notary in the Legal Court and then at the Ajman passport department.

“While I was working at the passport department I got the high school certificate from Egypt in 1978 through affiliation. Then I affiliated to Beirut Arab University and the exams were taking place in Egypt, but on the day of the exam, the university prevented GCC students from doing the exam and I don’t know the reason, so that is why I couldn’t get the certificate,” he said.

After working as a general manager at the Dubai and the Northern Emirates offices of the Abu Dhabi-based newspaper Al Fajr, Mr Al Alelee opened his own advertising company, although he did not stay long.

“I left the advertisement company and then I opened a petroleum derivatives company in Ajman, but due to problems it had to be closed,” he said. “Thereafter I opened a contracting company where I still work today. I’m used to starting in each field from zero and I see that I can work in any job,” Mr Al Alelee said.

Aside from his dealings with different businesses and brush with radio celebrity, Mr Al Alelee also finds time to write poetry, something he has been doing regularly for the past 36 years. He has penned more than 200 poems and is planning to have a book of his work published.

roueiti@thenational.ae

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
How to improve Arabic reading in early years

One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient

The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers

Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades

Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic

First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations

Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades

Improve the appearance of textbooks

Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings

Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught

Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar

Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The specs

Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed

Power: 271 and 409 horsepower

Torque: 385 and 650Nm

Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars

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