| Urhobo Historical Society |
Remembering Matriarch Janet Omotogor Ibru
Matriarch Janet
Omotogor
Ibru
A Letter of Condolences
|
Urhobo Historical Society Web sites: http://waado.org; http://urhobo.kinsfolk.com;
http://www.urhobowaado.info/ E-mail: UrhoboHistory@waado.org Fax: (716) 691-5066
March 25, 2006 Olorogun
Michael Ibru Dear Olorogun
Michael Ibru: Condolences I write this
letter to express a special message of condolences from Urhobo
Historical Society to you and your siblings on the occasion of the
death of your esteemed mother. Mothers are
especially precious in Urhobo culture. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo,
who was not particularly a good friend of the Urhobo people, was quoted
as having once uttered a special word of praise of Urhobo women. Chief
Awolowo was quoted as having told a confidant of his that Urhobo women
worked night and day so that their children would go to school and
become successful in life. That virtue of hard work and abiding
dedication to the future and success of their children was especially
important in the case of Urhobo women who raised their children in the
difficult pioneering years of the 1930s through the 1940s. We dare to
say that no other Urhobo woman deserves greater credit for such
steadfast dedication than your blessed mother. We believe
many future Nigerian historians will venture various deductions as to
what accounts for the unmatched and untainted successes that you and
your younger brothers have attained in so many fields. We in Urhobo
Historical Society, who study Urhobo history and culture as our
assigned responsibility, would rush to say that the early foundation
that your mother gave you in life was most probably critical to your
achievements. In mourning the loss of your mother, Urhobo Historical
Society celebrates those virtues of Urhobo womanhood that have churned
up so many successful men and women in our history of the last
three-quarter century. We know that the loss of your mother will touch
your core feelings because of what she contributed to your life and the
lives of your siblings. We trust that you will mourn your beloved
mother as a prototype of Urhobo womanhood. We mourn her loss with you
in that vein. Your mother’s loss will remind many Urhobos of the
wonderful things that our women have wrought in our history and
culture. Please accept our sympathies and condolences for the loss of a
remarkable mother and a virtuous Urhobo woman. Urhobo
Historical Society is currently working on its 2007 Calendar. We intend
to feature several Urhobo men and women of significance in Urhobo
history and culture. We plan to include your mother as one of Urhobo
women personages who deserve to be celebrated in our history. Once
again, accept the condolences of Urhobo Historical Society for the loss
of your respected mother. Sincerely
yours, Professor
Peter Ekeh Chairman Urhobo
Historical Society Editorial and Management
Committee Members: Ovie Felix Ayigbe, B. Pharm., R. Ph.; Onoawarie
Edevbie, M.A., M.Sc.; Peter P. Ekeh, Ph.D.; Edirin Erhiaganoma, M.Sc. Joseph E. Inikori, Ph.D.; Isaac James Mowoe,
Ph.D., J.D.; Omokere E. Odje, Ph.D.; Aruegodore Oyiborhoro, Ed.D.;
Ajovi Scott-Emuakpor, M.D., Ph.D. Executive:
Peter Ekeh, Chair and Editor; Andrew Edevbie, Secretary;
Edirin Erhiaganoma, Treasurer. |
Mrs. Janet Omotogor Ibru at Midlife
“The
Matriarch Extraordinaire Goes Home1
By Oghenevware
Evwode
On
Wednesday March 15, 2006, the cold hand of death snatched away Chief
Janet
Omotogor Ibru, the matriarch of Ibru dynasty at the age of 97 years. In
fact,
her death has further showed that all creatures of God owe the debt of
death
and this great Urhobo woman has just settled that debt.
The
death of Chief Janet Ibru is a pointer to the biblical injunction as it
is
contained in the book of Ecclesiastes, Chapter 3: “To every thing,
there is a
season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven. A time to be
born, and a
time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is
planted…”
Without
mincing words, the entire Urhobo nation mourns the demise of Chief
Janet Ibru
and by extension, other ethnic nationalities in the country and beyond
also
mourn the death of this great Urhobo woman.
Her
marriage to late Chief Ibru of Agbarha-Otor in Ughelli North local
government
area of
Her
eldest child, Olorogun (Dr.) Michael C.O. Ibru, OFR, was once described
by his
children and grand children in these words: “You are a pillar of
strength, a
visionary-guiding hand, a moulder of character, an educator, a lover of
children
especially the family. You are a humanitarian par excellence, a
philanthropist
without recompence, a grassroots organiser and community leader, and a
true
patriot without equal.” In one of his classical songs, the Urhobo
poet-musician, the late Ogute Ottan, described Olorogun Michael Ibru as
the
In the
same vein, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, Governor of Delta State, was
reported to
have said that the Ibru organisation founded by Olorogun Michael Ibru,
with 25
subsidiaries, has been rated as the largest indigenous conglomerate in
Records
have it that Ibru is pioneer in the production of fish and animal
protein,
thereby not only strengthening
Let us
look at the background of the Ibru Organization. What is now one
of the foremost groups in
The above mentioned
companies
of Olorogun Michael Ibru, has showed that the mother that gave birth to
this
business mogul of our time, deserves all the tributes now that she has
answered
the call of the Lord. Both Nigerians and non-Nigerians alike would
continue to
pay tributes to the deceased.
The late Chief
Janet Omotogor
Ibru would be remembered for the good legacies she left for her
children. In
fact, this legend was a disciplinarian par excellence, who instilled
that
discipline in her children. The late matriarch of the Ibru family was a
role
model and that could be the reason why her children are today role
models in
their chosen careers.
Chief Janet
Omotogor Ibru was
also an epitome of humility and that trait always reflected in all her
actions
while she sojourned on planet earth. Indeed, the success story of her
children
did not make her to be arrogant in dealings with people and if you were
not
told that she was the one that gave birth to Olorogun Michael Ibru and
his
siblings, you would not know.
She was a good
counsellor, no
wonder she gave good advice to her children who are today embodiment of
good
things of life. Chief Janet Omotogor Ibru must have followed the
biblical
injunction which says: “Train up a child on the way of the Lord and
when he
grows up, he would not depart from the way of the Lord.”
By all standards
Chief Janet
Omotogor Ibru was a virtuous woman and she possessed all the sterling
qualities
of the virtuous woman as enunciated in the book of Proverbs chapter 31.
The
late matriarch must have been guided by this Indian proverb: “The
nearest
approach to happiness for man in the course of his life is to possess
liberty,
health, and a peaceful mind,” no wonder her children are marvels of the
world.
The late
nonagenarian
attached much importance to this statement of James K. Feibleman:
“Morality is
a set of laws that one sets up for oneself.”
The children of
Chief Janet
Omotogor Ibru attained greatness because their mother was a woman who
had a
great aim in life. One should not be castigated to say that the
children of the
late nonagenarian must have been guided by this statement of Johnann
Wolfgang
Von Goethe (1749-1832), the German writer: “The important thing in life
is to
have a great aim, to possess the aptitude and perseverance to attain
it.” The
late Chief Janet Omotogor Ibru died in the Lord and that is why she is
being
given a Christian burial.
Indeed, the
obsequies
released by the family showed that on Thursday April 27, 2006 service
of songs
was held at the Ibru compound, Ovwor, Ughelli North local government
area of
Olorogun Felix
Ibru, another
son of late Chief Janet Omotogor Ibru, is a politician of no mean
repute. He
became the first civilian governor of
Mr. Alex Ibru, OON,
another
son of the late Chief Janet Ibru is a businessman, a publisher and
administrator. He founded The Guardian newspaper in 1983 and
today, that
newspaper is being described as the flagship of print journalism in the
country. He also has business interest in insurance, computer, and
other allied
matters both in
Mr. Goodie
Ibru is another illustrious son of late Chief Janet Omotogor
Ibru, who has made breakthrough in the hotel and hospitality industry.
He also
has business interest in banking, stocks, insurance, as well as a
member of
many professional bodies. Today, he is a force to be reckoned with when
the
issue of hotel and hospitality is discussed in the country.
In a chat with The
Urhobo
Voice, Chief Patrick Atsiangbe (JP), a chieftain of the People’s
Democratic
Party (PDP) in
As for Chief
Patrick Gbinije
(JP), the most senior chief of
Mrs. Janet Omotogor Ibru in Her Youth
A
Testimony:
“Mamma
Ibru is the Greatest Mother in
By Mr. Samson O. Eruvwavwe
“The Ibru family is
one of
the greatest and foremost in
“I worked
as a Stenographer in Mitchell Farms, a subsidiary of the Ibru
Organisation, from January 25, 1985 to May 15, 1989.
During my employment in the Ibru
Organisation, I came to realise that Olorogun M.C.O. Ibru is a very,
very
liberal person and his liberality was reflected in the conditions of
service applicable to all
employees in the group. As a
matter of fact, the Ibru Blue Book which contained condition of service
for all
junior staff in the entire Ibru Organisation, was well-known all over
“In the
‘80s when I was engaged in Mitchell Farms, there were 53 different
companies in
the Ibru Organisation which cut across every sector of the economy! And
the
number of Nigerians who benefited from the Ibrus through direct
employment, or
sales agency, or contracts, or clientele services ran into millions. As
a
matter of fact, the Ibru Organisation, as at that time, was the
greatest
employer of labour in the organised private sector (OPS) in
“Educationally,
many Nigerians also benefited from
the
Ibrus. Many underprivileged children were given good education through
scholarships by the Ibrus, and many workers were sponsored abroad for
specialised trainings by the various companies in the Ibru
Organisation. In
Mitchell Farms alone, more than five persons were sent to
“Now, let
me talk about the late Mama Ibru. It is not an exaggeration
to say that Mama Janet Omotogor Ibru was the greatest mother in
“Some employees had
complained that Mama Ibru was hard. But I did not see her to be so.
Such
employees who complained were either questionable or lazy.
I rendered personal services to Mama and also
chatted with her several times in the‘80s. In those days, Mitchell
Farms had a
tradition of giving free-of-charge (FOC) frozen chickens to its workers
every
week. Every junior staff was entitled to one chicken weekly, senior
staff to
two and management staff to three. Mama Ibru was entitled to three
chickens
weekly and I had to take them to her home in Ovwor-Olomu frequently, as
most of
my co-workers were afraid of facing her.
“Mama Ibru
was reputed to have fought against those
who embezzled money in any of the companies in the Ibru group. She,
indeed,
protected the business interests of her children and thereby
contributed to the
growth and popularity of the Ibru Organisation. That is something that
every
good mother in Urhoboland should learn from. Let no mother in
Urhoboland pull
down her children; rather, all mothers should build up their children
in
emulation of Mama Janet Omotogor Ibru.”
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