Obasanjo urges Ibru Family to preserve unity, legacy at book launch

By Cynthia Alo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has urged the Ibru family to remain united and preserve the values that shaped one of Nigeria’s foremost indigenous business dynasties, stressing that unity, discipline and communal spirit were the enduring lessons from the life of the late Michael Ibru.

Obasanjo spoke on Wednesday as Chairman of the occasion at the unveiling and launch of “The Ibru Story”, authored by veteran journalist Mike Awoyinfa, in Lagos.

The former president recalled his close relationship with the late businessman, highlighting two key lessons he learnt from him, including the importance of effective leadership through delegation.

Recounting an experience involving his late first wife, who worked with Michael Ibru, Obasanjo said she often complained that some employees were not performing their duties and were taking advantage of the businessman’s patience.

He said he later discussed the matter with Ibru, whose response provided him with a lasting leadership lesson.

“If I will go after this, and go after this, and go after that, I will be spent out. At the end of the year, if he brings 90 instead of 100, I will take 90 and say, ‘Next year, you will do better.’ That is the way I manage—except the fish,” Obasanjo quoted Ibru as saying.

The former president said the lesson taught him that leaders who attempt to personally handle every challenge risk exhausting themselves.

He also recalled how Michael Ibru encouraged him to explore business opportunities in Angola’s fisheries sector after Nigeria provided financial assistance to the country.

Obasanjo said former Angolan President Agostinho Neto had explained that Soviet involvement in Angola’s fisheries sector had limited opportunities for other investors.

“The Soviets are advising us. They are exploiting our fish. If they are the ones exploiting the fish and they are also the ones advising, then where is the chance for anybody else to come in?” he quoted Neto as saying.

Reflecting on the experience, Obasanjo said countries seeking assistance must be careful about the nature of support they receive.

“When you are asking for help, you must watch out for the type of help you seek and the type of help you get. Angola got help from the Soviet Union, but it was the help that choked Angola,” he said.

Speaking on the book, Obasanjo said its major message was the importance of unity in sustaining both family and enterprise.

“Learn the lesson of determination, discipline and communality. Because Mike got everybody together, and that’s why the Ibru name will not disappear on the business map of Nigeria,” he said.

He urged the family patriarch, Goodie Ibru, to continue promoting reconciliation and togetherness among family members.

“This family must be held together at all costs. We should never be tired of holding the family together. Let our light be seen. Let the world continue to sing the song of the Ibru clan,” he said.

Goodie Ibru, who served as chief host of the event, said the publication was initiated to preserve the family’s history before the memories of those who witnessed its formative years disappeared.

He explained that previous attempts by the late Michael Ibru and late Olorogun Felix Ibru to document the family’s journey were not completed, making it necessary to finally record the story.

“As time passed and more of those who had witnessed the early years left us, I became increasingly conscious that we could not continue to postpone the task. Memories fade. Documents are lost. Those who can explain the meaning behind events are no longer always available,” he said.

Goodie Ibru said the book was designed not only to document the family’s commercial achievements but also preserve its values of discipline, enterprise, faith, service and responsibility for future generations.

He announced that proceeds from the publication would be donated to the Ibru Foundation to support educational and developmental initiatives.

“Our wish is that our family book will be more than a record of commercial achievement. May it inspire its readers through its lessons of vision, enterprise, courage, hard work, faith, commitment to family and service to society,” he said.

The author, Mike Awoyinfa, described the book as a blueprint for future generations of the Ibru family, saying it captured the principles and sacrifices that shaped the family’s success.

“This book is more than a biography; it is a map. This is your DNA. It is the blueprint of how your fathers and uncles started, struggled, built and endured. Whenever life confronts you with difficult choices, return to these pages,” he said.

Reviewing the book, Prof. Godini Darah described “The Ibru Story” as an important contribution to the documentation of indigenous enterprise in Africa.

He said the 342-page publication challenged negative stereotypes about the continent by highlighting how a Nigerian family built a diversified business empire through vision, discipline and entrepreneurship.

Darah noted that the book offers lessons in business leadership, succession planning, family governance and philanthropy, while preserving an important chapter in Nigeria’s economic history.

The book traces the evolution of the Ibru Organisation from Michael Ibru’s pioneering frozen fish business into a conglomerate with interests in shipping, hospitality, agriculture, aviation, banking, oil and gas.

The launch was attended by representatives of the governors of Lagos, Delta and Ondo states, traditional rulers, academics, business leaders and members of the Ibru family, who gathered to celebrate the legacy of one of Nigeria’s most influential entrepreneurial families.