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'{{Infobox Officeholder | name = Alex Ibru | image = | caption = | office1 = Minister of Internal Affairs | term_start1 = 1993 | term_end1 = 1995 | predecessor1 = | successor1 = | birth_date = | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = }} '''Alex Ibru''' is a [[Nigerian people|Nigerian]] businessman, founder and publisher of ''[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]'' newspaper, who was Minister of Internal Affairs from 1993 to 1995 during the military regime of General [[Sani Abacha]].{{sfn|Ekeh|2007|pp=670}} Alex Ibru is a son of Chief Janet Omotogor Ibru and brother of Chief [[Michael Ibru]], founder of the [[Ibru Organization]].{{sfn|Ekeh|2007|pp=670}} Alex Ibru was appointed chairman of Rutam Motors. In 1983 he met with newspapermen Stanley Mecebuh of the ''[[Daily Times of Nigeria]]'', Dele Cole also formerly of that paper and Segun Osoba, formerly of the ''Nigerian Herald''. With 55% funding from the Ibrus, they launched the ''[[The Guardian (Nigeria)|The Guardian]]'' in 1983, with Alex Ibru as chairman.{{sfn|Forrest|1994|pp=136}} The ''Guardian'' had various pro-left academics on its board, with a clear bias towards [[Obafemi Awolowo]]'s [[Unity Party of Nigeria]], and the first editor Lade Bonuola was held to stringly support the UPN. On the other hand, Ibru was from a millionaire business family and Stanley Macebuh was right wing in his views, so the paper tried to maintain a balance.{{sfn|Uko|2004|pp=55-56}} The stated goals of the paper were to provide an independent and balanced view.{{sfn|Agbese|2006|pp=49}} The success of the ''Guardian'' made it clear that there was an appetite for high quality journalism in Nigeria, and it was followed by news magazines such as ''[[Newswatch (Nigeria)|Newswatch]]''.{{sfn|Fuller|2004|pp=171}} The military regime did not appreciate the paper's independence, and it was persecuted under military ruler General [[Muhammadu Buhari]] (January 1984 - August 1985).{{sfn|Graybill|Thompson|1998|pp=134}} Ibru provided funding to the [[Civil Liberties Organization]] (CLO), established during the military regime of Buhari's successor, General [[Ibrahim Babangida]].{{sfn|Okafor|2006|pp=146}} Ibru was Minister of Internal Affairs from 1993 to 1995 in the Sani Abacha government.{{sfn|Evwode|2006}} His appointment by Abacha was seen as a gesture of appeasement to the press.{{sfn|Olukotun|2004|pp=69}} In December 1993 there were violent clashes between the Ogoni and Okrika people in the slums of [[Port Harcourt]] in [[Rivers State]]. Alex Ibru led a committee to tour Ogoniland and investigate the causes of unrest. Other members were [[Don Etiebet]], Minister of Petroleum Reserves and [[Melford Okilo]], Minister of Tourism, The military administrator of the state, [[Dauda Musa Komo]], escorted the group. Embarrassingly for the military regime, during the trip a large crowd demonstrated in [[Bori]] blaming [[Shell Nigeria|Shell Oil]] pollution for their problems.{{sfn|Hunt|2006|pp=167}} Alex Ibru had told his staff on the ''Guardian'' that he would not get involved in partisan politics. Despite this, the respected newspaper was highly critical of the Abacha regime.{{sfn|Uko|2004|pp=27}} On 14 August 1994 ''The Guardian'' offices were raided and shut down by the government, although Alex Ibru retained his post. The newspapers were only allowed to reopen in October 1994 following an apology by Ibru for any offensive comments that may have appeared.{{sfn|Ayittey|1999|pp=352}} On 2 February 1996 his car was sprayed with machine gun fire from unidentified men who had trailed him in a deep-blue Peugeot. Both Ibru and the editor-in-chief Femi Kusa were flown to England for treatment of their injuries.{{sfn|Ayittey|1999|pp=352}} After Abacha's death in 1998, his Chief Security Officer [[Hamza Al-Mustapha]] and others were charged with the assassination attempt.{{sfn|US State Department 2008|pp=416}} ==References== {{reflist |colwidth=20em}} '''Sources''' {{refbegin}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=UUtYqVNNhEwC&pg=PA49 |title=The role of the press and communication technology in democratization: the Nigerian story |first=Aje-Ori |last=Agbese |publisher=Routledge |year=2006 |ISBN=0415981492}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=5HtUn_dUmSYC&pg=PA352 |title=Africa in chaos |first=George B. N. |last=Ayittey |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |year=1999 |ISBN=0312217870}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=fFdeYB1lIPwC&pg=PA670 |title=History of the Urhobo people of Niger Delta |first=Peter Palmer |last=Ekeh |publisher=Urhobo Historical Society |year=2007 |ISBN=978077288X}} *{{cite web |ref=harv |url=http://www.waado.org/Biographies/Memorials/Janet_Omotogor_Ibru.htm |title=The Matriarch Extraordinaire Goes Home |first=Oghenevware |last=Evwode |year=2006 |publisher=Urhobu Historical Society |accessdate=2011-06-25}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=i0NinkShiHYC&pg=PA131 |title=The advance of African capital: the growth of Nigerian private enterprise |first=Tom G. |last=Forrest |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=1994 |ISBN=0748604928}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=llmCOvtWcUcC&pg=PA171 |title=National days/national ways: historical, political, and religious celebrations around the world |first=Linda K. |last=Fuller |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2004 |ISBN=0275972704}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=V0FYXwY2sc8C&pg=PA134 |title=Africa's second wave of freedom: development, democracy, and rights |first1=Lyn S. |last1=Graybill |first2=Kenneth W. |last2=Thompson |publisher=University Press of America |year=1998 |ISBN=0761810714}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=dQj9tQduiuwC&pg=PA167 |title=The Politics of Bones: Dr. Owens Wiwa and the Struggle for Nigeria's Oil |first=J. Timothy |last=Hunt |publisher=McClelland & Stewart |year=2006 |ISBN=0771041586}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=2uw79zvQu04C&pg=PA146 |title=Legitimizing human rights NGOs: lessons from Nigeria |first=Obiora Chinedu |last=Okafor |publisher=Africa World Press |year=2006 |ISBN=1592212867}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=qz9BlWO7ExwC&pg=PA69 |title=Repressive state and resurgent media under Nigeria's military dictatorship, 1988-98 |first=Ayo |last=Olukotun |publisher=Nordic Africa Institute |year=2004 |ISBN=9171065245}} *{{cite book |ref=harv |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=Abm-v6wGWOQC&pg=PA27 |title=Romancing the gun: the press as promoter of military rule |first=Ndaeyo |last=Uko |publisher=Africa World Press |year=2004 |ISBN=1592211895}} *{{cite book |ref={{harvid|US State Department 2008}} |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=O5rs8UkMj64C&pg=PA416 |title=Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2007 |author=US State Department |publisher=Government Printing Office |year=2008}} {{refend}} {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. --> | NAME = Ibru, Alex | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Minister of Internal Affairs of Nigeria | DATE OF BIRTH = | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = }} {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibru, Alex}} [[Category:Living people]] Alex Ibru died today around 1.30pm'