By Festus Ahon

At about 1 pm, the day suddenly turned dark.
The people of Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State wept. It was on a Tuesday and the day was 6th September when news filtered in that one of the first Urhobo billionaires and business titan, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru, OFR had passed on at the age of 85, less than four months to his 86th birthday at Maryland, United States of America, USA.

Born by the late Chief Epete Ibru of Agbarha-Otor, a missionary worker and late Chief Mrs Omotogor Ibru, a trader of the Osadjere family of Ovwor-Olomu, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru began life at a very tender age after finishing from the famous Igbobi college in 1951 being the first child of the family.

Olorogun Michael Ibru

Driven by the passion to make his family prominent, the late Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru took all his siblings, Felix (late), Alex (late), Goodie, Grace and Bernard (late) along in his business after ensuring that they were all well educated.

Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru who picked up job with the United African Company, UAC in Lagos as a Manager training, ventured into his private business few years later.

He founded a company, Laibru, in partnership with his boss in the office, an expatriate, Jimmy Large and by 1956 he founded the famous Ibru Organization.

As Chairman of the Ibru organization, one of the largest conglomerates in Nigeria and the West Africa sub region, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru was a major stakeholder and influential figure or factor in the Nigerian economy in the 60s, 70s, 80s and the early 90s.

After engaging in general trading with some success, in 1957, Michael Ibru discovered that the frozen fish market was a fertile market with the potential to deliver returns above the market rate.

However, it was a tough market to penetrate, at the time, many expatriate firms and Nigerian traders were not interested in the market.

But he felt he could put extra effort communicating with general traders, who played key roles in the eventual acceptability of the product. To trade in seafood, he established an importing company. He also rented and built cold storage facilities across the country.

By the mid 1960s trading fish had become the traditional money maker for the Ibru organization. Though he had other profitable interests in other areas such as transportation and construction, fish trading helped him secure financing and other forms of capital to engage in large scale trading.

He established a partnership with a Taiwanese company, Osadjere Fishing Company, which provided Trawlers and other accessories for trading.

By the end of the 1960s he branched out fully into other areas of the economy. Like a lot of his contemporaries, he established a transportation company, called Rutam.

He also invested in palm oil production.

Over the years, the Ibru Organization expanded into other areas such as Tourism, Timber and Poultry.

He was known as an entrepreneurial figure who created one of the largest modern Nigerian owned groups with other figures who were his contemporaries.

Because of his love for education and his people, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru founded the Ibru College, Agbarha-otor in 1969, which has today produced many graduates in all fields of human endeavour. Few years ago, he also established the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University in Agbarha-Otor.

He also built a private airstrip in Agbarha-Otor in the early 80s, Skol brewery in Agbarha-Otor and Pepsi cola which created employment for so many Nigerians in the 70s.

Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru had five wives and 17 children including Olorogun Oskar Ibru, who heads Ibafon Ports and Vice Chairman of the Ibru organization, Peter Ibru, Emma Ibru and Oboden Ibru, who was a key player in the defunct Oceanic bank International PLC.

The late Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru also tried his hands in politics in 1983. He was a gubernatorial candidate in the defunct Bendel State but lost to Gen Samuel Ogbemudia rtd.

He was also a member of the Liberal Convention and the New Movement, which metamorphosed to become National Republican Convention, NRC during the two political party system under then Military President Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida.

He made his marks in almost all aspects of life hence many people described him as man with many parts who made wave in the world as there is hardly any country in the world where the late Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevbe Ibru does not have his presence.