The Humble Giant: A Tribute to Late Idris Ibrahim IBRO
By Abdullahi Sani Maiunguwa
September 21st is a day I will never forget. It is the day my cherished, beloved elder friend, Alhaji Idris Ibrahim, former Governor of Kogi State (2003-2012), fondly called *Ibro* in his heydays, that returned to his Creator.
I first met him in 2004 at the Government House, Lokoja on assignment of my erstwhile Commission. I was then a Director at the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
Unlike many who are overwhelmed by the aura of exalted office, what I met was a posh, elegant, yet profoundly down-to-earth and soft-spoken gentleman who treated all and sundry with respect and uncommon humility. It was a profound respect at first sight. Consequently, we discovered having mutual friends and a shared understanding of national issues. From that encounter blossomed a friendship that extended to our families and endured till his traumatic passing.
What fascinated me most about Alhaji Ibrahim, was his strength of character and unshakeable faith in the powers of Almighty Allah. Two episodes illustrate this.
*1. Faith in the Face of Tragedy*
In 2006, ADC Airlines Flight 53, scheduled from Abuja to Sokoto, crashed seconds after take-off. Of 105 souls on board, only nine survived. Among the passengers were his three daughters.
He narrated the story to me live. That It happened on a Sunday. He was at home, free from official drudgery, relaxing on his three-seater sofa. Feeling at peace with himself, he decided to offer a voluntary *Nafil* prayer in gratitude to Allah. No sooner had he finished than the entire household erupted in screams. His first thought was a fire outbreak, but he remained calm, still fingering his rosary.
At this point in his narration, he called his ADC to corroborate the story in my presence. The ADC said: “Wallahi Sir, as we were wailing and rolling on the ground, His Excellency, to our shock, remained calm as we broke the news to him. He was paradoxically the one calming us, young and old, assuring us that In Sha Allah, all would be well.”
Then came the news that of over 100 passengers, only nine survived. The chance of all his three daughters surviving seemed impossible by simple statistical probability. We all lost our senses, but Oga remained calm, rekindling our hope that with Allah, nothing is impossible.”
And Allah had indeed answered his prayers. Of the nine survivors, three were Governor Ibrahim’s daughters, who escaped virtually unhurt. He debunked the rumour that they were found strapped together on a single three-seater chair; affirming that each was seated separately.
Knowing how superstitious people could be, many friends later asked him for the secret behind what they called a Guinness Book of Records miracle. He only replied politely that he had nothing extraordinary, except his ardent belief in the majesty of Allah and his resolve to always do good for humanity to the best of his ability.
Read Also:
*2. A Principled Leader Who Knew When to Bow Out*
The second incidence is this that towards the tail end of his second tenure in 2012, I took my wife and children to his Abuja residence for the birthday of his son and namesake, *Idris* aka *Junior*, born about the same time as my daughter Zahra, whom he fondly called “our in-law” literally and jokingly a matching fiancée to Idris Jnr. Soon after my family moved into the inner apartment and joined his family for the birthday bash while himself and I remained in the main parlor.
I then suddenly noticed that his main living room was filled with campaign posters of various sizes and exotic designs symbolically urging him to contest for the Senate. I instantly wished him success.
He immediately responded with a laugher and retorted: “Haba Danuwa na, my brother, is it because of those posters you saw all over here?” He said they were brought by well-wishers and he could not turn down such goodwill.
I asked why he would not contest like many of his colleagues.
He said: “Danuwa na, you know by providence as willed by Allah, I am the longest-serving democratically elected governor in Nigeria so far. I did nine years instead of eight due to the cancellation of my second term election and when I won the re-election, I started afresh, with that first year as “jara” (meaning more like the “ baker’s dozen”.). If not God, who else could have done this favour for you? Can’t I be grateful enough to Him by stepping aside to give upcoming ones a chance? After all, whether Senator or Minister, while serving as Governor I was the one that in a way helped make them from my state, and now I am the one to go begging for such positions? No, not me, my brother. Alhamdulillah.”
That was the pious, principled, quintessential Idris Ibrahim ; a man of proven integrity and simplicity.
*The Entrepreneur and Trailblazer*
Ibrahim Idris was born in 1949 in Idah, present-day Kogi State.His formative years in the pursuits of his education and business took him to various parts of this country traversing the Southern and Northern States a struggle that helped shaped his enviable cosmopolitan lifestyle.
Consequently, he ventured into business and politics , founding Ibro Trading Company with interests in construction, furniture manufacturing and hospitality.
In 1970, he relocated to Sokoto and established the Ibrahim Furniture Factory, which became the largest in the former Sokoto State. He then established private hospitality company as Ibro Hotels International, the first three-star hotel in the state.
Ibro was a trailblazer who dared where others hesitated. Long before the formal relocation of the federal capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, he built a four-star Ibro Hotel in Abuja in the 1980s — an investment many dismissed as wasteful. By 1992, Abuja had only four hotels of international standard — Nicon, Sheraton, Ibro and Agura — and bookings required weeks in advance. Today, Ibro Hotels have grown to five-star status with several branches in the capital city.
*The Philanthropist*
On community service and philanthropy, the late Gov. Ibrahim’s impact was monumental. Long before he dreamt of becoming a Governor, while in Sokoto, he mentored many young people who are today established businessmen across Nigeria, and awarded scholarships to thousands of students in Kogi and beyond. He was exceptionally generous, without strings attached.
He was a detribalized Nigerian, a bridge-builder, a humble giant.
Allah Ya jikan Baba Idris, Uban Idris, Uban Muhammad and co. May Jannatul Firdausi be his final place of abode. Amin.
Abdullahi Sani Maiunguwa a former Director of Allocation at the Revenue Mobilisation, Llocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC)
