THE death of Dr. Alex Uruemu Ibru, publisher of The Guardian has been described by his siblings, children and one of his classmates at Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos as very painful and irreparable.His elder brother, Goodie, who attended the same secondary school with him, said: 'I was supposed to go before him, but for him to go before me is a very painful thing. But God knows best.'We were very close. We will miss him greatly. We grew up together and did a lot of things in common.'His younger sister, Mabel, recalled: 'My brother was always calling me 'my baby sister.' His death is still a shock to me, but I don't want to cry.He was six years older than me, and he was a wonderful man.'All I want from Nigerians is prayers; we need a lot of prayers. It is well,' she said.Ibru's son, Toke disclosed with hindsight that every moment with his father was memorable. He described him as a role model to him and his siblings.Toke is encouraged by his father's philanthropy, simplicity, humility, entrepreneurship, spirituality, inspirational discipline and accountability.He would want Nigerians to emulate the principles and ideals of his father, adding: 'The press should be the watchdog and ensure good governance in Nigeria. With good leadership and prudent management of our resources, Nigeria would be a better place.'My father left a good legacy, so the challenge now is to sustain his legacy and improve on it,' he said.To Toke's younger brother, Tive, the death of his father is very emotional. 'I was with him around 1pm on Sunday before he passed on, incidentally, on my mother's birthday. It was a very emotional period in my life.'As for The Guardian, he said: 'We must keep up the standard left behind by my father. We must continue to pursue 'Conscience nurtured by truth.' He described his father as a great man who loved his country.On his part, the Vice Principal of Igbobi College, Mr. Gbelee Kayode, disclosed that Ibru had an admirable record in the school.'It was not all his classmates that could finish with him. Some of them repeated the class, but he completed at record time with good grades. All the Ibrus are noble in nature; they had a noble beginning,' he said.One of Ibru's closest classmates, Prof Soga Sofola of the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said that the late Ibru was an extremely nice person.'He was very humane, very kind. He loved people and his country. We will surely missed him,' he said.Ibru gained admission into the school in 1960 with admission number 1232, and left with flying colours in 1963. As an athlete and footballer, he won many laurels for his house and the school.Above all, he was a proud member of Igbobi College Old Boys Association (ICOBA).
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