Olorogun Oskar Eyovbirere Ibru, billionaire industrialist and chairman of the Ibru Organisation, has died at the age of 67.
His family revealed that he passed away after a brief illness. No further details were provided regarding the circumstances of his death, according to Arise TV.
A central figure in Nigeria’s corporate landscape, Ibru was the most prominent heirs of the Ibru dynasty.
He played a pivotal role in sustaining and expanding the Ibru Organisation, a vast family conglomerate established by his late father, Olorogun Michael Ibru, with key interests spanning shipping, fisheries, oil and gas, real estate, and commerce.
Regarded as both a visionary businessman and custodian of his family’s legacy, Oscar Ibru carried forward the entrepreneurial spirit that made the Ibru Organisation one of Nigeria’s most recognisable corporate brands. Under his leadership, the group not only remained a source of jobs and wealth creation but also supported philanthropic and cultural initiatives
He attended Igbobi College for his secondary education before proceeding to Skidmore College for his first degree and later Atlanta University graduate school of business for his master’s degree.
Ibru returned to the country in 1983 and joined The Guardian as a management trainee and then Emsee Shipping Lines Limited in the position of research and development manager. He rose to the position of General manager and became managing director of the company in 1992.
Oskar Ibru was the Chairman of the Dream Child foundation. The Dream Child Foundation is an NGO which aims to use the culture of music to empower and support the African child in partnership with the World Bank and KPMG.
Ibru was also president of the governing council of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping.
He was married to Chief Wanda Ibru, curator of the Ijebu national museum and owner of the pathways botanical gardens. They had three children: Makashe Ibru-Awogboro, Chris Ibru and Nenesi Ibru-Okeke.
Ibru was the first African Commodore of the Apapa Boat Club, and was the 2006 Maritime Personality of the year.
Olorogun Oskar Ibru is the Otunba Boyejo of Ijebu Kingdom and was conferred an honorary Doctorate Degree by Igbinedion University in 2017.
His death marks another painful moment for the Ibru family, coming years after the passing of its patriarch, Michael Ibru, in 2016. Funeral arrangements are expected to be announced in the coming days.
