BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE, CHARLES KUMOLU & VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG

LAGOS – BARRING further changes, the remains of the Publisher of The Guardian Newspapers and former Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Alex Uruemu Ibru, will be buried on December 16 at his Agharho-Otor, Delta State home town.

Hinting on the burial date yesterday, Alex Ibru’s eldest son, Toke Alex Ibru said: “Tentatively, I think the day should be Friday, December 16, 2011. It will be in the village, Agbarho, near Warri in Delta State.”

In readiness for the burial, Vanguard gathered that the Ibru family met yesterday and would continue with the meeting, to firm up arrangements just as the Delta State Government said it would play an active role in the burial of “a great son of Delta.”

Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian Newspapers, Mr. Emeka Izeze, said there would be an official statement from the family on the burial activities.

Relatedly, Mr. Oma Djebah, Senior Adviser on Foreign Relations (SAFRE) to the Governor of Delta State, told Vanguard on phone that the state government would play active role in the burial of Alex Ibru, whom he described as a great son of Delta State.

Dr. Umaru Dikko signing the condolence register during his condolence visit to the family of the late Alex Ibru, at their Ikoyi residence, on Tuesday.

Tributes continue

Meanwhile, among those who paid tributes, yesterday, were Mr. Gamaliel Onosode; Oba Otudeko; Dr. Olu Onagoruwa; Akran of Badagry, Aholu Menu Toyi; Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC); Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC); Congress for Progressive Change (CPC); Progressive Action Congress (PAC) and Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) among others.

How my father died – Toke Ibru

Recalling how Ibru died, Toke, who is the executive director of The Guardian Newspapers, said members of the family knew he might die that day and were at the hospital with him.

He said: “I was there with him at his last moment at about noon on Sunday. He was in a coma for about an hour before he passed on. My mood was very cheerless. All of us, including my mother, were with him. We knew that he was going to die that day and we were there with him.”

Toke described his father as a simple man, who lived a simple life and took everything that came his way as the will of God, saying: “My daddy was a very simple man. He’s been blessed at a very young age. He took everything as the will of God.”

Asked how close he was to his father, Toke responded: “I was very close to my father, especially in the last two years. We became very close and I spent most of my free time with him after work. I gained a lot of knowledge from his past experiences.”

On what he would always remember his father for, he asserted: “I will remember him immensely for his love for me and contentment. So, his contentment is one of the attributes that he will be remembered for. Daddy told me: ‘everything that happens to you, it’s the will of God and once you have a need, you should be very truthful about it and set a lot of time to help other people.”

More Nigerians pay condolence

Meantime, more Nigerians trooped to the Ikoyi, Lagos residence of the departed media icon, yesterday, to commiserate with the family. Callers at the home included former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Akin Aduwo; President of the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), Mr. Nduka Obaigbena; former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Dr. Olu Onagoruwa; former Minister of Information, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro; former Governor of Western Nigeria General Adeyinka Adebayo (rtd); and Senator Bode Olajumoke.

Other visitors included former Managing Director of the Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Felix Ohiwere, and Mr. Segun Adeniyi.

In his tributes, Oba Otudeko said: “Those who knew Alex know that he was a very deep profound thinker, extremely strategic gentleman and a man of few words. He was a great creative and innovative strategist. From what he achieved, Alex Ibru clearly was to this nation a pillar and someone who stood for values that are enduring. He built institutions and he touched many lives.

Also, Olu Onagoruwa said: “Dear Alex, I had hoped and prayed you and I would spend more precious and lovely times together, but God always has His own plans. Rest well now and God bless you.”

Onosode stated: “Indeed, the memory of the righteous is blessed. Our brother, rest in peace.”

The Akran of Badagry said, “It is unfortunate that Nigeria has just lost an industrialist and a publisher of repute who promoted journalism.”

Noting that Ibru helped in the rapid development of the journalism profession which thrived today in the country, the monarch, a former journalist with the New Nigerian newspapers, said: “He established The Guardian newspapers, which turned out to be one of the best newspapers in the country as at today.”

On its part, Lagos ACN, in a release its Publicity Secretary of the ACN, Joe Igbokwe, described Alex Ibru as “a quintessential honest Nigerian, who remained strong on the paths of principles and integrity even when he was demanded to compromise these great virtues for selfish interests.”

In like manner the NLC and TUC extended condolences to the Ibru family and the management and staff of The Guardian Newspapers, over the death of Chief Alex Ibru.

The two central labour organisations in the country, in a separate condolence messages, described Alex Ibru as a publisher of repute, and a successful business man, who was highly principled and committed to excellence.

NLC in a massage b y its head of information, Comrade Chris Uyot on behalf of NLC’s President Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, said: “As a publisher, his entry into the media expanded the frontiers of print journalism by sustaining high standards and intellectual discourse as well as setting agenda for public debate on a number of critical national issues.”

On its part, TUC in a condolence message by its President-General and Secretary-General, Comrade Peter Esele and Chief John Kolawole respectively, noted that “Ibru’s death has created a huge vacuum in the journalism profession.