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By Young Erhiurhoro, Warri
The Ibru village and the entire Agbarha-Otor kingdom in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State was recently a beehive of academic activities as the Michael and Cecilia Ibru University (MCIU) launched the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Centre on September 6, 2020. This was as part of activities to mark the 4th year memorial anniversary of the late business icon and African entrepreneur, Olorogun Michael Christopher Onajirhevwe Ibru, who passed on four years ago.
Delivering a memorial lecture in his honour titled, ‘Innovation In Entrepreneurship: Changes The Rules of The Game,’ through Zoom, the pioneer director of the Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Mr. Peter Bamkole, advocated for product/service innovation, process innovation and business model innovation as three forms of innovation to boost and grow businesses and also promote entrepreneurial skills amongst small business owners and young undergraduates in Nigeria.
“Wherever problems exist, entrepreneurs will scramble to provide multiple solutions leading to the creation of products, services and ultimately, ventures. Irrespective of the resources within their control, entrepreneurs will pursue such opportunity with single-minded passion to deliver value to their target market.
“As long as the customer pain point is being relieved, the customer will continue to pay for such value until a superior value is being proposed either by the entrepreneur or a competitor,” he said.
However, all the panelists like Dr. Muda Yusuf, Olayemi Anyanechi, Prof. Anthony Kila, Bismarck Rewane and Mr. Obaro Osah were of the view that the Nigerian educational policies should be woven round entrepreneurial skills in order to create jobs for our teeming young undergraduates at the end of their educational careers.
They also described the late Otota of Agbarha-Otor kingdom, Olorogun M.C.O. Ibru as a role model and mentor in business and entrepreneurial development in Nigeria.
In his address, the chairman of the event, Olorogun Moses Taiga, who also doubles as the president general of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) worldwide thanked the co-founder of the Michael And Cecilia Ibru University, Dr. Mrs. Cecilia Ibru, for sustaining the vision and passion of promoting the legacies her beloved husband left behind by putting together such academic programmes as the annual memorial lecture.
Also, in his citation, Mr. Goodie Ibru, brother to the deceased, extolled the fine virtues and qualities of the late Olorogun Ibru, which he said endeared his late brother to the business world. He also appreciated the untiring efforts of Dr. Mrs. Cecilia Ibru in running with the vision of his late brother, even at this time of the global economic crisis and the ravaging Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, a memorial church service was held in late Olorogun Ibru’s honour at the Power of Faith Building at the university campus.
In his sermon to the gathering, partly made up of Ibru family members and invited guests, the Archbishop of Bendel Ecclesiastical Province and Bishop of Ughelli Diocese of the Anglican Communion, His Grace, The Most Revd. Cyril OdiborOghene Odutemu, advised the Ibru family to always unite and build on the foundation laid by their late father.
The cleric concluded his message which he took from the Bible book of Revelation 21: 7 with the words of encouragement to overcome evil with patience and endurance as the late Ibru did while alive. The archbishop however prayed for the Ibru family and all those that graced the occasion.
The memorial lecture event ended with a vote of thanks by the vice chancellor of the Michael And Cecilia Ibru University, Professor Ibiyinka Fuwape, thanked the guests, staff and students of the university for their unqualified support, as well as the co-founder of the institution, Dr. Mrs. Cecilia Ibru for what she called, “visionary management”.
The event was moderated by an international management expert, Dr. Benson Uwheru, a partner with EY’s Banking and Capital Markets Sector and leader for West Africa, and attended by thousands of entrepreneurs and young people within and outside Nigeria through Zoom.
