TRIBUTE AND CONDOLENCE MESSAGE ON THE DEMISE OF HIS EXCELLENCY, ALHAJI IBRAHIM IDRIS (IBRO), CON – FORMER GOVERNOR OF KOGI STATE (1949 – 2026)
September 20th, 2026
I have lost a father, a mentor, a benefactor, and unarguably the most impressive man I have ever encountered.
The news of the passing of His Excellency, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, former Governor of Kogi State, reportedly in the United Kingdom at the age of 77, has left me deeply saddened. He was not merely my Governor; he was the man who made me Honourable Commissioner for Information of Kogi State.
With his uncommon eye for talent and his magnanimous disposition towards young people, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris discovered me and entrusted me with the responsibility of managing the information architecture of Kogi State.
A LEADER WITH THE RARE CAPACITY TO RAISE OTHER LEADERS
In 2011, in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, I resigned my position as Commissioner to contest the Kogi Central Senatorial election. Where many leaders would have considered such an action as disloyalty, Alhaji Idris demonstrated his large-heartedness. After the election, he graciously recalled me and reappointed me to the same position as Commissioner for Information.
That was the essence of Ibro. He bore no grudges. He believed in second chances. He possessed an exceptional capacity to forgive, rehabilitate and rebuild people.
AN ENIGMA AND A COLOSSUS
Born in 1949 in Idah, with roots in Omala Local Government Area, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris rose from humble beginnings as a businessman of repute – through Ibro Trading Company, his furniture manufacturing concern and the Ibro Hotel, reputed to be the first three-star hotel in the old Sokoto State – to become the second democratically elected Governor of Kogi State.
He served from May 29, 2003, to January 27, 2012, with a brief interregnum in February 2008 when his 2007 election was nullified by the Court of Appeal, necessitating a re-run election which he won resoundingly on March 29, 2008. With nearly nine years in office, he remains the longest-serving Governor of Kogi State and the only Governor in the Fourth Republic to have won three governorship elections in a single cycle.
His achievements in office were monumental. His administration bequeathed to Kogi State the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja, the Confluence Stadium, the International Market, the Greater Lokoja Water Scheme with a 50-million-gallon-per-day capacity, over 2,000 housing units, more than 2,000 blocks of four classrooms each across primary schools, an extensive network of roads and bridges across the three senatorial districts, and secured full accreditation for all academic programmes at Kogi State University, Anyigba, which was then adjudged the best State University in Nigeria.
He was undoubtedly one of the finest Governors of his era.
Even in the twilight of his life, driven by an insatiable quest for knowledge, he returned to school and bagged a degree in Law – a testament to his belief in continuous self-improvement.
He was a dependable leader in the truest sense. When Ibro gave you his word, you could go to sleep. He was a man of integrity, simplicity and uncommon humility.
CONDOLENCES
On behalf of myself, my family and my political associates, I extend my sincere and heartfelt condolences to:
1. His Immediate Family: His beloved wives, children, grandchildren and the entire Idris family of Omala and Idah. May Almighty Allah grant you the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
2. The Good People of Kogi State: Especially the people of Kogi East Senatorial District, Omala LGA and Idah. We have lost our longest-serving and one of our most impactful Governors.
3. His Political Family: The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State and nationwide, former members of his Executive Council, former members of the State House of Assembly, former Local Government Chairmen, former political appointees and all those who passed through his tutelage.
4. His Close Associates: Captain Idris Wada, his successor and brother-in-law, and all his close political associates and friends.
Nigeria has lost a bridge-builder, Kogi State has lost its most accomplished Governor, Igala land has lost an illustrious son, and I, Dr Tom Ohikere, have lost a father who made me what I am today.
May Almighty Allah forgive his shortcomings, accept his good deeds and grant his noble soul Aljanatul Firdaus.
Adieu, my boss. Adieu, Ibro.
Dr Tom Ohikere
Former Honourable Commissioner for Information, Kogi State
September 20, 2026
