Chairman and Publisher of The Guardian newspapers Chief Alexander Uruemu Ibru died in Lagos yesterday at the age of 66, according to a statement from the Guardian management. It said the publisher died at about 2.30pm 'in the course of an illness.'Ibru was born on March 1, 1945 and was the youngest of the Ibru brothers, who hail from Agbhara-Otor in present-day Delta State. It said the Ibrus 'entrepreneurship made the name almost synonymous with business in Nigeria.'The late Alex Ibru attended Methodist Primary School, Yaba, Lagos (1951-1957), Ibadan Grammar School (1958-1960), Igbobi College, Lagos (1960-1963) and the University of Trent (formerly Trent Polytechnic) in 1967-1970, where he studied Business Economics. 'After working briefly in the family business under the tutelage of his older brother and patriarch, Michael C.O. Ibru, Alex Ibru launched out on his own and soon became one of the most successful young businessmen in the country,' the statement said.'He founded The Guardian in 1983 with a mission to make it one of the five best English language newspapers in the world. It soon established itself and has since remained the flagship of the Nigerian press. Ibru is the Chairman of Trinity Foundation, the vehicle through which he did his massive philanthropy, giving support to the poor and the needy. He was also the founder of the Ibru Centre which promotes ecumenism and religious harmony. Alex Ibru is a Paul Harris Fellow of the Rotary Club International. He was minister of Internal Affairs of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and member of the highest Provisional Ruling Council, PRC, from 1993 to 1995. As minister, he was said to have introduced far-reaching reforms in the management of Nigeria's prisons and the Immigration Service. He left the Sani Abacha-led government on principle, after which an attempt was made on his life, allegedly on the orders of the ruling military government. The case on that attempted murder is still in court.' He was a recipient of D.Litt honoris causa of the University of Port Harcourt. The Guardian's management said burial arrangements would soon be announced by the family.Soon after the death was announced, Edo State Governor Comrade Adams Oshiomhole commiserated with the Ibru family. He said in Benin City that Nigeria has lost 'one of the pillars of modern journalism in Nigeria.''After the epic contribution of the media to the anti-colonial and post-colonial struggle for the building of Nigeria, The Guardian founded in 1983 by Mr Alex Ibru could be said to have defined the agenda of the democratic struggles particularly from the early 80s', the Governor said.Oshiomhole said that Ibru has left a void too big to be filled. 'No doubt Alex Ibru has left his invaluable imprint on the sands of Nigerian journalism. A mighty tree propelling the development of the Nigerian media has indeed fallen,' he said. He said the flourish of the libertarian tradition championed by The Guardian opened vistas to the growth of human rights groups like the Civil Liberties Organisation and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR).Former Governor of Ekiti State Chief Segun Oni also commiserated with the Ibru family, describing Alex Ibru's death as a great loss to Nigeria and the media profession.Oni, who spoke through his Media Aide Mr. Lere Olayinka, said 'Alex Ibru's contributions to the media profession in Nigeria are monumental and he will surely be missed by all. If one puts in perspective the quality of life that he lived, especially his contribution to the media in Nigeria, there is every cause for us to celebrate a man with virtues plated in superlatives.
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