Goodie Minabo Ibru | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 11, 1942 |
| Education | Ibadan Grammar School, University of London |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, hotelier, lawyer |
| Known for | Former president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange |
| Relatives | Michael Ibru (brother) |
| Awards |  Order of the Niger |
Goodie Minabo Ibru (born 11 May 1942) is a Nigerian businessman, hotelier and former president of the Nigerian Stock Exchange. [1] [2] [3]
Goodie Ibru was born on 11 May 1942 [4] to Peter Ibru and chief Janet Ibru. He is the brother of Michael Ibru founder of the Ibru Organization, a major Conglomerate. Goodie obtained his primary school leaving certificate from Yaba Methodist school, Yaba and later went to Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan.
He proceeded to the Holborn College of Law, University of London and graduated LLB (London) in 1965. He was called to the inner temple of the English Bar in 1966 and enrolled at the Supreme Court of Nigeria as Solicitor and Advocate in 1968, after which he founded the law firm G.M Ibru & Co where he was principal partner. [5]
Ibru founded Ikeja Hotel Plc in 1975. He opened his flagship property the Sheraton Lagos Hotel in 1985. In 1992, the company acquired the tourist company of Nigeria Plc, the holding company of the Federal Palace Hotel. Subsequently, Ikeja Hotel Plc purchased majority shares in Capital Hotel Plc and he became the chairman and owner of the Abuja Sheraton hotel [6]
Ibru has sat on the Board of several companies, including Guardian Press Limited, Dunlop Nigeria Plc, Crusader General Insurance Plc and Minet Nigeria Limited. [7] He was also Chairman of Aradel Holdings [8]
In 2014, Maiden Ibru, the widow of Goodie's brother Alex Ibru, was locked in court battles over the chairmanship position of the company. Goodie Ibru was eventually removed as chairman at an extraordinary general meeting (EGM). The decision was challenged in court and the court eventually found that the removal was illegal and restored Ibru back to his position as chairman. Despite his victory he resigned two months later to pave way for younger members of the Ibru family to take up management positions. [9] The court would later direct him to refund Ikeja Hotel Plc over unauthorised sale of Union Bank of Nigeria Shares as part of ongoing legal disputes. [10] [11]
Goodie Ibru served as President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nigeria-Russia Business Council, and the NEPAD business Group. He was honorary consul of the Consulate of Lithuania to Nigeria [7] He also represented Nigeria as the co-chair for the UNWTO Committee on International Code of Ethics on Tourism. [12]
He is a member of the Lagos Rotary Club, Metropolitan Club and Ikoyi Club. He is Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM), the Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Chartered Institute of Administrators. [7]
Ibru was awarded Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) in 2003. [13] [14] He won the Zik Prize for business leadership in 2014. [15]