• Says Ibru’s name will remain in Nigeria’s business map
• Goodie lauds late Michael’s courage, energy to persuade people to his vision

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday lauded the contributions of the Ibru family to the growth of business and politics in Nigeria, saying that Ibru’s name will not disappear from the business map of Nigeria.

Obasanjo spoke during the launch of the book, The Ibru Story, an account of a pioneering Nigerian business family, held at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

The Ibru Story, a sweeping, deeply researched book about one of Nigeria’s most influential business dynasties and the extraordinary individuals who shaped it, is authored by renowned journalist and biographer, Mike Awoyinfa.

The book also revealed the details behind the rise of the Ibrus, led by the towering legacy of Olorogun Michael Ibru, visionary entrepreneur, pioneer of Nigeria’s frozen fish industry, and founder of the Ibru Organisation.

It further traces how a family of five brothers and two sisters went from modest beginnings to national and international prominence.

The book, however, explores enterprise, risk-taking, innovation, family unity, rivalry, politics, philanthropy, faith and the human costs of success.

Obasanjo said: “I don’t know if this has been done for a dynasty before, but if it has been done, this will be a model.

“I was very close to Mike (Michael Olorogun). Mike’s life was a bundle of lessons. I learnt a lesson from him and another through him.

“The one that I learnt directly from him was when my first wife was working for him. She would always come home complaining that they were cheating Mike, and one day, I got fed up and visited him one Saturday in his office and told him what my wife had been complaining about.

“Mike sighed and responded: ‘I will be spent out if I go after everything. My solution is to call and ask what each person will bring, and if the one who promised 100 came back with 90 at the end of the year, I will take the 90 and tell him that he will do better next year.

“That is the way I manage, except for the fish that I don’t give to anybody. I hold on to that because that is the one that produces others.

“The second lesson was when we helped Angola with $20 million, and Mike told me that Angola has fish, and we should see what we can do.

“Let the world outside Nigeria continue to sing the song the Ibru dynasty has given to Nigeria and to humanity. Never get tired or be angered so that we will continue to have as much as possible the dynasty that God has given to Nigeria.”

Goodie Ibru said that the publication, The Ibru Story, is not simply the record of a successful business family, but the story of a journey that began many years ago, when the possibilities before the family were far less certain than they may appear today.

He said that the book is the story of parents who gave their children values before they could give them material advantages; the story of brothers and sisters who understood that progress would require vision, discipline, unity and faith, and the story of a generation of Nigerians who believed that indigenous enterprise could play an important role in the development of the country.

He said: “I had the privilege of witnessing much of that journey at close quarters. I saw the early struggles. I saw the risks that were taken. I saw the long hours, the disappointments, the setbacks and the determination to begin again.

“I also witnessed the confidence with which my late eldest brother, Olorogun Michael Ibru, looked beyond the limitations of the time and imagined businesses that could grow, create employment and contribute to the Nigerian economy.

“Michael Ibru had courage, energy and a remarkable ability to persuade people to share in his vision. But the Ibru story was never the work of one person alone. It was built through the contributions of brothers and sisters who brought different strengths, experiences and personalities to the family enterprise.”

Meanwhile, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, who was represented by the Commissioner for Higher Education, Nyerhovwo Tonukari, said that the story of the Ibru family is much more than the story of a successful business family.

He said: “It is the story of vision, courage, hard work, and perseverance. For us in Delta State, this story is especially meaningful. The late Olorogun Michael Ibru and his family showed that with determination, integrity, and the right values, it is possible to build world-class businesses while remaining committed to serving humanity.

“Their success story has inspired generations of Deltans, and their legacy continues to remind us that true greatness is measured not only by what we achieve, but also by the lives we touch.”