By Eniola Olakunri
The nation lost a treasure on October 18, 2026, when the news broke that Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Ibebhad translated.
It was one shattering piece of news this writer never expected to receive. Not at this time.
It has been a few days since his passing, yet it still feels surreal. One finds it difficult to pull oneself out of that vortex of confusion, disbelief and sheer astonishment. A most disturbing reality that the mind continues to struggle to comprehend.
Proffy, my moniker for him, was a highly spirited, larger-than-life personality: popular, engaging, warm and, quite simply, a no-dull-moment kind of man who related effortlessly with virtually everyone.
We were introduced by a mutual friend in 2018, and we took to each other like fish to water. From that moment, a beautiful friendship blossomed, and we remained almost inseparable until his translation.
In 2019, without telling him, I wrote a piece about this extraordinary man. I will share substantial snippets from that piece here because, in retrospect, they provide a fascinating window into the life of a man who was truly a legend in every sense of the word.
Please read on.
THE POWER OF A VISION: THE GREGORY IBE STORY
Originally written on November 3, 2019
He took the wooden spoon Life had thrust into his mouth and ran with it.
To him, it was a spoon. It was his to do with as he wished. It did not bother him that his spoon was different, that his circumstances were dire, or that Providence appeared to have been visiting the next town when he was born.
He ran with his vision; he ran with a determination so spectacular that he turned what should have been a disability into a launch pad for success.
His spoon changed to gold!
Meet Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Charles Ibe, OFR.
EARLY YEARS
Born on December 10, 1963, in Kaduna to a policeman father, Cyril Elesim Ibe,nand petty-trader mother, Ugoeze Margaret Ibe, young Iyke, as he was fondly called by friends and loved ones, seemed destined for a life of consequence.
Although born in Kaduna, Iyke missed the opportunity to learn Hausa, one of Nigeria’s major languages, because the family moved back East when he was barely a year and a half old.
However, having spent a considerable part of his adult life in the North, he would later acquire the ability to hold a decent conversation in the widely spoken language.
From the outset, he understood that he had to develop the grit necessary to change the circumstances surrounding his birth.
His father spent a considerable part of his life as a policeman.
This was long before His Royal Highness mounted the stool of his forebears. As a policeman, the then Prince Cyril Ibe’s salary could not provide the comforts that a growing household of nine children and a wife required.
Iyke, being the first child, understood early that he had to grow up quickly. He took on odd jobs here and there to augment the family’s finances.
Today, Providence had taken Professor Ibe on its wings. His circumstances had changed dramatically, and he had recorded one spectacular success after another in several fields of human endeavour.
He was a husband and father of six children : an orthopaedic surgeon, a cardiologist, a finance expert, a lawyer, an accountant and his youngest son, who was nursing an ambition to become a pilot.
A firm believer in Henry Ford’s famous philosophy – Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right” – Ibe definitely thought he could.
And that is why he became a living testimony to how a vision can birth and drive success.
SCHOOLING AND APPRENTICESHIP
By the time the family moved back to the East in 1965, young Iyke knew that all he had were the goals he had set for himself and the blank canvas of life.
While schooling, he apprenticed at various times in surveying, carpentry, tailoring and local electrical works. He also joined his mother, Ugoeze, in making confectioneries, candles and petroleum jelly for sale.
In the midst of all this, Ibe continued to forge ahead academically. He understood that education provided the plank for bridging the divide between poverty on one hand and a secure future on the other.
He went on to acquire a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Enugu State University of Science and Technology, followed by a Master’s degree in Health Care Management and a Ph.D. in Management from California Coast University, Santa Ana, California.
WORK LIFE: PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SECTORS
Ibe’s work experience cut across both the private and public sectors.
He began his career with International Generics and Industrial Construction (Nigeria) Limited in 1985 as an Accountant II and rapidly rose through the ranks. Within six years, he had become Deputy Manager, Coordinator, Northern States Projects and Deputy Area Manager, Eastern Nigeria.
His work ethic and the strong sense of values acquired from an early age became defining characteristics of his professional life.
Among the projects he handled were the Federal Ministry of External Affairs Complex, renovation of the Old Federal Secretariat Complex (both in Abuja), Imo Airport, Imo Specialist Hospital, Anambra State University of Technology satellite campuses in Enugu, Nnewi and Nkwelle, and Oba Airport, among others.
His desire to broaden his experience took him to Berkeley Pharmaceutical Limited, headquartered in London, where he was responsible for marketing and distribution of pharmaceutical products across the South-East and South-South.
In 1992, Dizengoff (West Africa) Nigeria Limited, an Israeli company, came calling. Although he was enjoying his work at Berkeley Pharmaceuticals, he could not resist the challenge and responsibilities that came with the new opportunity.
He was appointed Divisional Coordinator/Marketing Manager, responsible for market development in West Africa. In that capacity, he handled air-cooling projects for Yobe State Television, Abuja Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Kano grain silos, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and telecommunications projects for NICON Hilton Hotels, now Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
By 1996, Ibe was headhunted by ITE (Nigeria) Limited, a subsidiary of Globe International Holding S.A. of Switzerland, and appointed Deputy General Manager.
There, he was responsible for the marketing of educational and scientific laboratory equipment and the development and marketing of communications, education, scientific and security equipment.
He handled these assignments with gusto and an abiding sense of responsibility. But he had begun to feel the pull of entrepreneurship.
His experience at ITE had opened his eyes to the enormous challenges confronting Nigeria’s educational sector, and he felt compelled to do something about them.
THE ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY
In 1999, Ibe and other foreign partners founded Skill “G” Nigeria Limited, a company established to bridge the yawning gaps between Nigeria’s educational sector and the rest of the world, particularly in technical and vocational education, science and technology.
The company took off with remarkable speed and, within a few years, became a major player in the West African educational sector.
Across Nigeria, Skill “G” traversed the length and breadth of the country, delivering vocational and technical centres, skill acquisition centres, micro-science and mathematics laboratories for primary and secondary schools, and education resource centres.
Other companies followed, including Hamitle Holding Inc., Hamitle Engineering Nigeria Limited, Hamitle Consult Nigeria Limited and HHI Nigeria Limited, with interests spanning civil engineering, construction, telecommunications and consultancy.
At various points, Ibe was called upon by the Federal, State and Local Governments, as well as international bodies, to deploy the depth of knowledge and experience he had accumulated for the benefit of the nation and humanity.
He became a lecturer at Abia State University, Uturu, and Tansian University, Anambra State, while also serving as a consultant to the Federal Government on civil service and education reforms.
His contributions to national development included participation in several committees and initiatives covering maritime education, national science parks, entrepreneurial education, science and technology laboratory development, exports, waivers and concessions, among others.
His industry was such that he was entrusted with the oversight of 12 United Nations agencies between 2000 and 2007 on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
With such an impressive portfolio of service and accomplishment, it was hardly surprising that the Federal Government honoured him with the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR) in 2013.
THE VISIONARY BEHIND GREGORY UNIVERSITY
For years, the entrepreneur had nurtured the idea of bringing his private-sector, business and public-sector experiences to bear on Nigeria’s educational system.
He found his answer in the establishment of a university. But not just another university.
He wanted an institution that would be distinctive.
He understood the challenges: stringent regulatory requirements, finance, land, infrastructure, power, human resources and the countless logistical hurdles involved in establishing a university in Nigeria.
But Gregory Ibe was never one to run from challenges.
Where others saw hurdles, he saw ladders.
In 2012, he founded Gregory University, Uturu (GUU) in Abia State.
The University’s vision centred on becoming a world-renowned institution recognised for the quality of its academic and research programmes, as well as its professional, practical and entrepreneurial capacity development.
One of the University’s distinctive features was its emphasis on entrepreneurship. Second-year students, irrespective of their disciplines, were exposed to entrepreneurship and its practical applications,equipping them with skills with which they could begin building businesses even before graduation.
And Professor Ibe, the Founder and Chancellor, took a personal interest in this.
He would have it no other way.
His concern was straightforward: Nigeria was producing thousands upon thousands of graduates who left university with certificates but without sufficient practical skills to create opportunities for themselves.
His response was to infuse entrepreneurship into the curriculum.
The results were evident.
GUU graduates were pursuing further academic accomplishments, securing employment and, importantly, becoming entrepreneurs themselves.
Therein lay the power of a vision.
His vision was never merely about building an institution. It was about building people.
FAITH AND PHILANTHROPY
Professor Ibe was a devout Catholic whose Christian faith informed his worldview and approach to life.
He believed strongly in the power of faith, good upbringing, integrity and responsible citizenship. He believed that children should be encouraged to discover and develop their God-given talents.
He was equally passionate about giving.
His philanthropy was not restricted to individuals or even his immediate community. His constituency was Nigeria.
Over the years, through the Gregory Iyke Foundation, he supported scholarships, education, healthcare, youth development, infrastructure, sports and community projects.
Among the initiatives attributed to him were scholarships for students of medicine and pharmacy, support for student pilots, donations of computers and laboratory equipment, road construction, healthcare for senior citizens, youth empowerment, sports development, cultural initiatives and support for educational institutions.
The list was extensive.
And typically, he did not make a spectacle of his giving.
For Gregory Ibe, philanthropy was not a performance. It was a responsibility.
AND THEN CAME INNOV8
When I wrote the original piece on November 3, 2019, Professor Ibe read it and liked it immensely.
But he asked me to hold off publishing it.
His reason?
There were still other ventures in the pipeline that needed to become part of the fuller story.
He was right.
Less than a year later, with his characteristic irrepressible energy, Professor Ibe, alongside his long-time partner, founded Innov8 Hub, a not-for-profit organisation established as a moving force in innovation, creativity, entrepreneurship, capacity building and venture creation, with a mandate focused on socio-economic growth and human capital development in Nigeria and beyond.
And what followed was another remarkable chapter in the Gregory Ibe story.
In just six years, Innov8 Hub recorded achievements that would have been impressive even for an organisation with a much longer history.
It supported, mentored and provided technical guidance to more than 250 entrepreneurs and 800 researchers.
It successfully developed more than 120 products and prototypes and incubated 25 promising startups, helping them move towards commercially viable businesses. Among them were Vectar Energy, a clean-tech venture, and EpochZero, an AI-driven health diagnostics venture.
The organisation also attracted significant international recognition.
It became a Gold Recipient of the Academic–Industry Partnership Award* under the Education and Research Leadership category and was inducted into the Global Hall of Fame.
It was shortlisted for the prestigious QS Reimagine Education Awards for its Eco Lab Environmental Education Outreach initiative.
And at the Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Summit, Innov8 was selected as one of the Top Five finalists for Innovation Hub Champion of the Year from 1,786 nominations across 52 African countries.
This was the man I proudly called Proffy.
A man who seemingly never ran out of ideas.
A man who saw possibilities where others saw problems.
A man who kept moving.
THE LEGACY
The nation has lost a visionary par excellence; a kinetic entrepreneur; an outstanding academic; a passionate philanthropist of uncommon hue; a genuine Christian; a devoted family man; and a friend who could comfortably move between the highest echelons of society and the ordinary man on the street.
Of course, there are dimensions of this remarkable human being that time and space will not permit me to fully chronicle.
But I believe the reader has, through these recollections, caught a glimpse of the extraordinary man Professor Gregory Ikechukwu Ibe – Enyi Abia – was.
When I wrote in 2019 that it would not be surprising if one day a title such as “Enyi Nigeria” was created specifically for him, I was, perhaps unknowingly, only beginning to appreciate the breadth of the man.
Professor Ibe did not merely live a life.
He built.
He nurtured.
He mentored.
He inspired.
He gave.
He educated.
He created.
He transformed.
And then, on October 18, 2026, he translated.
We often say that certain people leave a vacuum when they depart this world.
But a vacuum can, eventually, be filled.
Professor Ibe has left something far greater.
He has left a crater.
A gaping, monumental crater created by a life of uncommon energy, vision, service, enterprise, generosity and friendship.
And that crater, I dare say, can never be refilled.
May Almighty God grant his soul eternal rest and grant his beloved family, the Gregory University and Innov8 families, the countless people working across the businesses he created, his colleagues and associates, and the many others whose lives he touched, the fortitude to bear this monumental loss.
Adieu, Proffy.
You ran with the wooden spoon Life handed you.
You turned it to gold.
And you left the world richer for having passed through it.
May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace.
*Eniola Olakunri
CEO, Write Affairs
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