UGHELLI – AGBARHA-OTOR, home town of the Ibrus in Ughelli North Local Council of Delta State, has been thrown into mourning, following the death of one of her prominent sons, Dr Alex Uruemu Ibru.
When Vanguard visited the community on Tuesday, the residents were in sad mood.
The atmosphere at the Ibru Centre, an international ecumenical retreat centre, which Alex Ibru donated to the service of God on December 23, 1989, was not the same. A condolence register was also opened at the centre.
Most of the workers at the centre said they were yet to come to terms with the demise of the late media mogul, who revolutionised newspapering in the country, with the introduction of The Guardian Newspapers in 1983.
One of the clerics at the centre, who took Vanguard to the proposed tomb of Alex Ibru, which he prepared for himself years ago at the chapel of the centre, described Ibru’s death as a big blow to the centre.
THE SEALED TOMB OF MR ALEX IBRU
The cleric, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the centre and the Agbarha community would miss Ibru, adding that the centre had brought fame to the community and the Nigerian Anglican Communion.
Reiterating that the church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion would also miss the deceased, he said Alex Ibru’s gesture of donating the centre had helped in the evangelism of the work of God on earth, adding that Christians come from across the globe on yearly basis for retreat at the centre.
Special Project Director, Section ‘A’ of the Ughelli/Asaba road dualisation project, Mr Sunny Onosueke, said the Agbarha community was taken aback with the death of Alex Ibru.
According to him, Alex Ibru was one of the Ibrus that placed the community first among its equal in Nigeria and the world as a whole, adding that “the community is proud of him.”
One time councillor in the area, Mr Roland Oyibo, who also spoke in the same vain, said the Ibru Centre brought a boost to the socio-economic lives of the people of the community.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, yesterday, described Alex Ibru as a patriotic Nigerian who wrote his name in gold.
In a statement by its Director of Social Communications, Monsignor Gabriel Osu, the archdiocese said Ibru contributed much to Nigeria’s development.
“The deceased was an industrious and patriotic Nigerian whose immense contributions to the development of the nation cannot be quantified. He truly left his mark on the sand of time and would be greatly missed by all,” the archdiocese said and prayed God to give the Ibru family the fortitude to bear the loss of the publisher.
From left: Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Editor, National Mirror; Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, President, Nigeria Guild of Editors; Alhaji Lateef Jakande, former Governor of Lagos State and Mrs Maiden Ibru, during a condolence visit to the widow of the late Alex Ibru, publisher of The Guardian Newspapers, yesterday. Photos: Lamidi Bamidele.
Sen Ashafa eulogises Alex Ibru
The lawmaker representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, has described the death of Publisher, The Guardian Newspapers, Chief Alex Ibru, as a great loss to Nigeria, saying, the nation had lost one of the greatest investors in the Nigerian economy.
Ashafa, in a tribute to the deceased, said he was a hero of the time, in terms of standard of professional practice both in journalism and industry.
He said: “I received with great shock, the demise of Mr. Alex Ibru, and one thing he will ever be remembered for is his resilience act during the tyrannical era of the late Gen. Sanni Abacha by quitting as the Minister of Internal Affairs at the most trying time.
“Chief Alex Ibru was a phenomenon whose substance and legacy would live for generations to come. His remembrance will never be forgotten and that simply means he still lives daily.”
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