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Nigeria mourned Olorogun Oskar Eyovbirere Ibru on Sept. 24, 2025. He was an industrialist who worked across agriculture, oil, shipping, real estate, and finance.
The eldest son of the late Michael Ibru, founder of the Ibru Organization, Oskar carried forward a legacy that began with frozen fish trading in the 1950s and grew into one of Nigeria’s most prominent conglomerates.
He rose from a trainee at The Guardian newspaper to managing director of Emsee Shipping in 1992, later steering the group’s interests in petroleum, property, and hospitality.
Beyond business, he served as president of the Nigerian Chamber of Shipping from 2006 to 2010, where he pushed for greater private-sector involvement in ports and indigenous shipping. In 2014, Forbes listed the Ibru Organization among the ten leading family businesses in Africa.
He also supported cultural and philanthropic initiatives, including the Dream! Child Foundation and Pathways Botanical Gardens, alongside his wife, Wanda.
Oskar kept the Ibru name at the center of Nigeria's business life, even as the economy shifted and family disputes emerged. His passing, nine years after his father’s, marks the close of another chapter in one of the country’s most notable business families.
His influence extended beyond the companies he managed. His dedication, principles and vision left a lasting mark on Nigeria’s business community and his legacy endures in the organizations that continue to uphold his values.
- Ibru Organization
The Ibru Organization, a conglomerate with interests spanning shipping, ports, hospitality, real estate, agriculture, aviation, banking, media, and oil and gas, traces its roots to 1957, when the Ibru family pioneered frozen-fish distribution in Nigeria. Until his passing Oskar Ibru served as its chairman and chief executive.
- Ibru Sea Foods Limited
Ibru Sea Foods Limited, founded by Michael Ibru in the late 1950s, pioneered frozen fish distribution in Nigeria and grew into a dominant force in the market. As a core arm of the Ibru Organization, it cemented Ibru’s reputation as a leading industrialist and earned him the moniker “mortuary fish” millionaire.
- Emsee Shipping Lines Limited (Emsee Shipping)
Emsee Shipping, the logistics and maritime arm of the Ibru Organization, was where Oskar Ibru began as research and development manager. By 1992 he had become managing director, overseeing vessel operations and petroleum transport.
- Ibru Merchandise 33 / Merchandise 33 Ltd.)
Incorporated in Apapa on 12 July 1974, Ibru Merchandise 33 is the trading and merchandising arm of the Ibru Organization, where the group’s warehousing and distribution facilities are clustered.
- Queens Petroleum Ltd.
Queens Petroleum, incorporated with offices on Victoria Island, Lagos, is the oil and petroleum distribution arm of the Ibru Organization. Oskar Ibru's leadership in the company, showed his wider roles across the group’s energy and trading interests.
- Superbru Limited
Superbru Limited, incorporated in Lagos on 23 March 1974, is one of the trading and distribution arms of the Ibru Organization. Listed in group profiles alongside other subsidiaries, it has operated from the Ibru complex at 33 Creek Road, Apapa.
- Spibat Limited
Spibat Limited, another trading and services arm of the Ibru Organization, has long been recorded as part of the group’s diversified portfolio. Oskar Ibru’s executive role in the Ibru Organization extends to Spibat reflecting his influence over its operations.
- Aden River Estate Limited
Aden River Estates, founded in 1967 by the family patriarch, Olorogun Michael Ibru, is the agro-industrial arm of the Ibru Organization focused on oil-palm plantations and processing in Edo State. The company runs large plantations and a mill producing palm oil, kernel oil, and related products.
- Aero Contractors
Founded in 1959 and later acquired by the Ibru Organization, Aero Contractors became the aviation arm of the group, operating scheduled flights and oil-and-gas support services from Lagos. Under Oskar Ibru, the airline operated as part of the family’s key business interests before majority control shifted to AMCON.
Incorporated in Lagos in 1998, Ibafon Oil grew out of Ibachem (Ibafon Chemicals), the Ibru Organization’s chemicals and petroleum venture. Operating tank farms in Apapa with tens of millions of liters in storage, the company focuses on bulk petroleum storage, tank leasing, and distribution.
