Awoyinfa Scores: The Ibru Story

Journalist and biographer Mike Awoyinfa has written a 342-page book on the Ibrus, one of Nigeria’s foremost business families.  The book was launched at the MUSON Centre on July 22, a day before his 74th birthday with Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s former President as Chairman of the occasion. Below is the speech he delivered at the launch:

Distinguished Chairman of this occasion—our former President, military and civilian, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, an author of great repute;

Distinguished members of the Ibru family, whose remarkable story this book tells;

Distinguished friends, in-laws and invited guests;

My lovely wife, Mrs. Olubukola Awoyinfa, who stood by me throughout the research and interviews that culminated in this book;

I also warmly acknowledge Mrs. Oby Dimgba-Igwe, wife of my late friend and co-author, Dimgba Igwe, whom I believe is smiling down from heaven as we gather here today. I dedicate this book partly to Dimgba Igwe and partly to Chief Michael Ibru—the foremost hero and inspiration behind this work.

Distinguished members of the noble journalism profession—a profession that prepared me to become a biographer. Journalism and biography are united by one enduring principle: the relentless search for stories worth telling. If a story is not newsworthy, it is hardly worth pursuing.

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, I greet you all in the name of our Creator, the Editor of all editors.

Thank you for honouring us with your presence at the presentation of The Ibru Story—a story so compelling, so inspiring and so profoundly Nigerian that I believe it deserves a place in every home, every library and every institution of learning in our country.

Every great dynasty needs a custodian—someone who ensures that the triumphs, the struggles and the quiet sacrifices of the past are never swallowed by time.

Today we are gathered here because one man understood that sacred responsibility.

I must begin by expressing my deepest gratitude to Chief Goodie Ibru, who fished me out to write the biography of this extraordinary family.

Chief, you are the last titan standing—the living bridge between a glorious yesterday and an unfolding tomorrow.

This book exists because of your vision.  You did not commission this project out of vanity. You commissioned it as a torch.  You wanted a permanent record—authentic, honest and inspiring—not only for the world, but especially for the younger generations of the Ibru family, so they will always know the majestic shoulders upon which they stand.

Thank you, Chief, for entrusting me with your family’s sacred history.

And what a history it is.

Imagine a Nigeria where the idea of eating frozen fish was greeted with suspicion. People called it “mortuary fish”—or Oku Eko in Yoruba.

It took a man of extraordinary vision to look beyond that national scepticism and see an industry that would feed millions.  That man was the patriarch, Chief Michael Ibru.  He did not merely sell fish.  He changed a nation’s eating habits and built an empire from the sea.

Yet as monumental as Michael Ibru was, the true magic of the Ibru story lies elsewhere.

This remarkable pioneer was supported by an armada of brothers, each conquering a different frontier of Nigerian life.

As I wrote this book, I came to one irresistible conclusion:

The Ibru Story is the ultimate masterclass in family synergy.

Here were brothers from the same parents who helped reshape modern Nigeria.

Their story reminds me of the Jackson Five—my favourite musical family of global fame.

Michael Ibru, the Michael Jackson of the family, conquered the seas and laid the financial foundation.

Felix stepped into politics and became the first democratically elected Governor of Delta State.

Goodie looked at Lagos and realised Nigeria deserved a world-class Sheraton Hotel—and he made it happen.

Alex understood that a developing democracy needed a fearless newspaper, and so he founded The Guardian—the flagship of intellectual journalism in Nigeria.

The other brothers provided the institutional strength that kept this extraordinary enterprise growing.

Together they proved that when brothers stand shoulder to shoulder, they become a fortress that no economic or political storm can easily destroy.

TWIST OF FATE: MICHAEL IBRU AND MUHAMMAD ALI

Ladies and gentlemen,

History is never just a catalogue of victories.  It is also the story of human vulnerability.  As I researched the life of Chief Michael Ibru, I was struck by a haunting resemblance.  Physically, he looked remarkably like the boxing legend Muhammad Ali.  Sadly, they shared far more than appearance.  Both were global titans of action.  Ali was poetry in motion inside the boxing ring.  Michael Ibru was a force of nature in the boardroom.  Yet both eventually battled Parkinson’s disease—a cruel illness that no one would wish even on an enemy.

For the rest of his life, this great action man—a man whose voice once commanded industries—was gradually imprisoned by silence.  But Parkinson’s could silence his voice.  It could never silence his legacy.  His achievements continue to speak louder than any disease.

Before this book could go to press, tragedy touched this project once again.

I cannot stand here today without paying tribute to another important voice in these pages—Olorogun Oskar Ibru, the brilliant son of Chief Michael Ibru.  Before his untimely passing, Oskar granted me a long and deeply moving interview.  He opened his heart, sharing priceless insights into his own life and into the character of his legendary father.  He spoke with the pride of a son and the wisdom of an Ibru.  He did not live to witness today’s launch.  But his voice now lives forever in these pages. 

May his noble soul, and the soul of his great father, continue to rest in perfect peace.

This brings us to the real purpose of today’s gathering.  This book is more than a biography.  It is a map.   To the younger members of the Ibru family who are here today, this is your DNA in print.  This is the blueprint of how your fathers and uncles thought, how they struggled, how they built and how they endured.  Whenever life confronts you with difficult choices, return to these pages.  You may discover that the answers have always been part of your inheritance.

To everyone else, this book is a masterclass in entrepreneurship, family enterprise, corporate strategy and generational wealth.  Chief Goodie Ibru has done his part by preserving the flame.  Now it is our responsibility to keep it burning.  Please don’t buy just one copy.  Buy copies for your children, your friends, your business associates and for every young Nigerian who needs to be reminded of what vision, courage and family unity can achieve.

Your Excellency, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo,

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen,

Permit me to end on a personal note.

People often describe a book launch as the birth of a book.  How wonderfully appropriate that this book is being born today because, by God’s grace, tomorrow I will celebrate my 74th birthday.

I could not have asked for a more meaningful birthday gift than to witness the birth of this labour of love.

As I connect the dots, I see the unmistakable hand of God in this book, in this gathering and in my own journey.  To Him, the Author of my life and the Editor of my destiny, be all the honour, all the glory and all the praise.

Thank you very much, and God bless you all.