For many in their early twenties, the Ibru name is mostly associated with the defunct Oceanic bank.

The more informed amongst us probably know the name Ibru and can link it to publications like The Guardian; owned actually by his brother, Alex.

Beyond that, do we really know anything about octogenarian Michael Ibru who just died?

Here are seven things about him you should know.

He was Michael Olorogun Ibru.

Considering the fact that the Ibru family probably has the highest number of popular Nigerians to have come from one family (Felix Ibru, Oskar Ibru, Alex Ibru) it’s easy there are many who might have wondered which of them was reported dead yesterday.

The ‘Olorogun’ which always accompanies his name is only a Chieftancy title in his hometown of Delta State.

He attended the prestigious Igbobi college, Lagos

Between 1948 and 1951, he attended the Igbobi College, Yaba, Lagos where he acquired a school certificate. He hold alumni status of the school with the likes of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the notable legal luminary, Teslim Olawale Elias and even Nigeria’s political heartthrob, Babatunde Raji Fashola.

No University training.

In 1951, in his fourth year at the Igbobi College, he attempted and passed the Cambridge School Certificate Examination.

Directly after leaving Igbobi College, he secured a job in the United African Company (formerly the Royal Niger Company and now United African Company, Nigeria), as a manager- in training. He left the company a few years after to start a business partnership with Jimmy Large, an expatriate with U.A.C which they called Laibru. The company focused on general merchandising until 1957.

He did acquire a number of honorary degrees in his lifetime. They include an Honorary Doctor of Laws (Hon. LL.D.) from the University of Benin in 1978, and another from the University of Ibadan in the same year, and then an Honorary Doctor of Agriculture from the University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, 2004.

He started the frozen fish business in Nigeria

As the patriarch of the IBRU organization, he recognised the problem of protein deficiency and began the frozen fish business. In a 1988 Newspaper interview, Michael Olorogun described starting the business as an adventure.

My first foray into the business world was to engage in general merchandise: import and export. After one year in the business world, I took stock. I had lost almost all my capital. In return for this I gained – experience – a greater fighting spirit – and friends who believed in me. I reappraised the whole situation and decided to concentrate my efforts in two areas: (1) those items least popular among the merchants of the time. (2) Those things giving certain sociological or health benefits for the people. That’s how I came into the fishing business.

So in a sense, Michael Olorogun  started impact investing in Nigeria. Starting from the back of his truck in 1957, as his fish trading business grew, he chartered his first fishing boat and then moved on to large scale fishing.

Other businesses

From fishing, the company expanded into other business sectors such transportation, brewing, construction, petroleum distribution and bulk storage, Bulk liquid products, warehousing and importation. The company also forayed into aviation, acquiring Aero from CHC Helicopters.

Cecilia is not his only wife.

Michael Olorogun’s Wikipedia page reveals that he had five wives and seventeen children. Though we know only Cecilia Ibru as his wife, some of his sons have regularly made the News, Oskar Ibru, Oboden Ibru, Obaro Ibru and Peter Ibru.

He would have been 86 this Christmas

Michael Olorogun was a Christmas baby. He was born on the 25th December, 1930 to Peter Ebete and Janet Ibru in Agbara-Otor, Delta State. His father, Peter was a nurse at The Igbobi Orthopaedic Hospital.