Management, Council, Senate, Staff and Scholars of Gregory University Uturu ( GUU ) in Abia State have declared a 7-day mourning period for the late Founder and Former Chancellor, Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe, stating that they are doing so with heavy hearts, but totally submitting to the will of Almighty God.

In a statement that was released by the Vice Chancellor (VC), Professor Celestina Njoku, announcing what she ( VC ) described as the glorious home-call of their Founder and Proprietor, she ( VC Njoku ) stated that late Professor Gregory Ikechukwu passed on following health challenges he bore with exceptional courage and faith, as earlier announced by the Royal Family of HRH Eze Cyril Ibe, Okwelube I of Amaokwe Achara Autonomous Community, Isuikwuato LGA.

According to the VC, Professor Gregory Ibe was not just a proprietor; he was the Vision Bearer, the Architect and the Soul of Gregory University Uturu, adding that from a proverbial humble beginning in 2012 in the serene hills of Amaokwe Achara Uturu, Professor Ibe’s uncommon vision, sacrifice and philanthropy built what former President Goodluck Jonathan described as “the fastest growing private university in Africa” and what former NUC Executive Secretary, Professor Abubakar Rasheed described as “the foremost private university in Eastern Nigeria.”

Describing late Professor Ibe as an accomplished Professor of Entrepreneurial Management, Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Management, philanthropist, statesman and recipient of the Order of the Federal Republic OFR), the VC further stated that late Prof. Ibe dedicated his entire life to expanding access to quality education for the less privileged, even as his life was encapsulated in the GUU mantra: ” Knowledge for Tomorrow”.

According to VC Njoku’s statement, by the death of Professor Ibe, the academic world has lost a colossus, and the Gregory University community has lost a father, a mentor, a builder, and a compass.

GUU Management declared that during the 7-day mourning period in the University “All flags in the University will be flown at half-mast, Condolence Registers opened at the Vice Chancellor’s Office, Senate Building, and at GUU Liaison Offices in Abuja and Lagos.

Adding that all social and sporting activities are to be suspended, including preparations for the 2nd ASTEF Torch Run, the VC statement further stated, “We covet the fervent prayers of all Nigerians, parents, students, alumni, the National Universities Commission, and the entire higher education community for the peaceful repose of Professor Ibe’s gentle soul , and for strength for his immediate family, whom he is survived by six children and seven grandchildren, and for the entire GUU family.

The GUU aligned fully with the Royal Family that funeral arrangements will be communicated to the public in due course.

VC concluded her statement thus: ” Adieu, our Founder. Adieu, our Chancellor. Adieu, Prof.
Your dream lives on, stating that the late Professor Ibe’s legacy will never die, praying that his noble soul rests in perfect peace.