Chief Michael Ibru (OFR)
Michael Ibru is a prominent Nigerian Businessman from Agbarna-Ofor Delta
State. He is the head of the Ibru organization, one of the largest
conglomerates in Nigeria. He is the founder of Oceanic Bank International Plc.
Born on December 25, 1932, he is the eldest child of Chief Peter Ibru and
Chief (Mrs.) Janet Omotogor Ibru (nee Osadjere) in Warri, Delta State.
His father, Peter Ibru was a missionary worker at the Igbobi orthopedic
hospital in Lagos. The family bears the traditional chieftain of his homeland,
Olorogun.
Michael went to school at Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos from 1948 to 1951 where
he did very well as a student and was made the senior prefect of his school in
his final year in 1951.
After he left Igbobi College, he joined United African Company (UAC) as a
management trainee; he left UAC in 1956 and started his company in partnership
with an expatriate, Jimmy Large. The company was called Laibru.
He later established an importing seafood company with cold storage facilities
across the country. By mid 1960s the trading fish company had become the
traditional money maker for the Ibru organization. Though he had other
profitable interests such as transportation and construction, fish trading
helped him secure financing and other forms of capital to engage in large
scale trading.
Again he formed alliance with a Taiwanese company in fish trading which they
named Osadjere Fishing Company and provided Trawlers and other accessories for
trading.
His transport company was called Rutam and he later extended his business to
tourism, brewery, timber and poultry.
Chief Michael Ibru has five wives and seventeen children, among them are Oskar
Ibru (Head of Ibafon Ports) and Oboden Ibru (Key player in Oceanic Bank
International Plc).
In 1983, he also ventured into politics as a gubernatorial candidate under the
defunct Liberal Convention and the New Movement which metamorphosed into NRC.
He lost the election to Samuel Ogbemudia.
He retired from the chairmanship of the Oceanic Bank in 2007.
Award
- Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 1981
- Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LLD.) of the University of Benin (1978) and University of Ibadan (1978)
- Doctor of Agriculture (Honoraris Causa), University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, 2004
- Zik Price in Leadership, 2003
- 2005 Dr. Kwame Nkruma Excellence in Enterprise Award
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- Muhammadu Buhari- Politician
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