THE sterling life of the late Publisher of The Guardian, Mr. Alex Ibru, continued yesterday to draw tributes from eminent personsand organisations.The tributes came from former Minister of Defence, Gen. Theophilous Danjuma, Deeper Life Christian Bible Church, Nasrul-Lahi-Il-Fathi (NASFAT), Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO) and the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).Officials of the above groups were among visitors to the Ikoyi, Lagos residence of Ibru to commiserate with the family of the bereaved. Danjuma who visited Ibru's residence on Tuesday wrote in the condolence register:'The brightest star of his generation may his soul rest in peace.'The Director-General FIIRO, Mrs. Gloria Elemo, wrote in the condolence register: 'It is with deep sense of empathy that I write this condolence message to our dear Mrs. Maiden Alex-Ibru and children on the loss of Chief Alex Ibru. He left a lasting legacy behind as The Guardian Newspaper which today is one of the most reliable sources of information in the country.'The area of coverage given to science and technology which is our core areas of operation is highly commendable. We are proud of this achievement and may his soul rest in peace.'The NCC delegates led by Mr. Tony Ojobo described Ibru as a fine gentleman with a great contribution to journalism.He also said Ibru made contributions to economic and social development through the newspaper he established.In another condolence message, President, Rotary Club of Lagos, District 9110, Mr. Gbolahan Ayodele, said it was unfortunate that Ibru died young but that 'his age does not really matter since he was able to make tremendous marks and contributions in different areas of human endeavour.' He added that Ibru was a Paul Harris member of the Rotary Club.In extolling the virtues of Mr. Ibru for making The Guardian what it is today, the leader of the Nasrul-L-Faith Society of Nigeria delegation, Alhaji Sheriff Yussuf, said the paper had publicised the activities of the society more than any other newspaper in Nigeria. He recalled that three years ago, a lady was in bad health and needed assistance. According to him, it was The Guardian that took the matter up and today the lady is happily married.'Out of the media in Nigeria, there is no one that gives us more space than The Guardian and he wasn't a Muslim, we as Muslims we are very proud,' he said.He prayed God to grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss.In her response, Mrs. Alex-Ibru, said: 'We are non-partisan; we are for all religions. The Guardian is a public trust, it belongs to Nigerians, even when he (the publisher) was invited by the government the first question he asked was 'I hope you are not inviting me because of the paper. The paper will continue the way it was,''Also, the General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, IBTC, Ayobo, Lagos, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi sent a delegation to sympathise with the family. The delegation was led by the church Secretary, Pastor Jerry Asemota, who said that Pastor Kumuyi would have loved to be available but for some other engagements, and thus he sent them to represent the church. He said that the church had high regard for Mr. Alex Ibru, especially in recognition of his immense contributions to the populace and the nation at large.Asemota told Mrs. Alex-Ibru that she should take solace in the fact that her husband made useful contributions to the growth of humanity and therefore assured her that the church would continue to pray for her and the entire family.The Abuja Newspaper Distributors Association also condoled with The Guardian over the death of its publisher.In a condolence message to the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Guardian, Mr. Eluem Emeka Izeze, the association described the death of Ibru as a great shock and a colossal loss not only to the newspaper industry but the entire world of journalism.They prayed God to give the Ibru family and The Guardian Newspapers management and workers the courage to bear the loss.Meanwhile, the Newspaper Vendors Association (Abuja chapter) will next week (December 8, 2011) confer The Guardian with its Distinguished Media Award of Excellence as the Best Corporate Newspaper of the Year.The association in a letter to Izeze noted that the award would be conferred on the newspaper given the uncompromising role of The Guardian in the defence of democracy, its concern for the less- privileged in the society and legendary role in information dissemination.
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