Dr (Mrs) Cecilia Ibru MFR, OFR

Dr Cecilia Ibru was born on March 22, 1946 to the family of Chief Edward Gbagbeke Sido (Otota of Udu Kingdom) and Chief (Mrs) Victoria Obiruo Sido of Aladja.

She received her primary and secondary education from Sido Preparatory Day School, Warri, and Saint Margaret’s Grammar School Ilesha respectively. She then proceeded to University Tutorial College, London (1967-1968), where she obtained her Higher School Certificate. Dr Cecilia Ibru secured admission to study Sociology at London University and graduated in 1971 with honours.

Dr Cecilia Ibru obtained a Master of Philosophy from North East London University (1975-1977), followed by a Certificate of Eligibility from the Council of Legal Education London.

She commenced her career at the Ibru Organization in 1978 as a Project Director, holding various positions until 1997, when she assumed office as Managing Director/CEO of Oceanic Bank.

Under her purview, Oceanic Bank witnessed tremendous growth on all financial indices, boasting a branch network of about 400 branches within and outside Africa and a capital base of N1trillion. Dr Cecilia Ibru also championed economic development through Public-Private Partnerships that invested in local businesses.

Her appointment to the United Nations Global Compact board, a corporate-citizenship initiative chaired by the UN’s secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, solidified her reputation as a champion of corporate responsibility.

Dr Cecilia Ibru has been recognised internationally as the “First Lady” of Banking, accumulating several honours and awards. She is an Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (OFR) and a Member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (MFR). Dr Cecilia Ibru is also a Fellow of several professional bodies such as the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN), Nigerian Institute of Management Nigeria (NIM), and Institute of Personnel Management of Nigeria (IPM), and Sociological Society of Nigeria.

Dr (Mrs) Cecilia Ibru has also been acknowledged for her work as a philanthropist. She served as a Trustee to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, where she performed as an Honorary Ambassador for the Women Entrepreneurs Forum and took part in the United Nations Global Compact. In addition, she has sat on the Governing Board of Delta State University and Chaired the Public-Private Immunisation Foundation for the Nigerian National Immunisation Programme.

She is the Co-Founder of the Michael and Cecilia Foundation; a non-profit organisation focused on building effective, innovative, and enterprising human capital through the provision of educational opportunities.

Today, the MCF has birthed Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, a world-class institution with state-of-the-art infrastructure right in the heart of Delta State, the MCF Demonstration Schools, the MCF College of Education, and other education-oriented programs centres.