Amongst them was Chief Osadjere of Olomu, a 19th century millionaire who built the first story building in Urhobo land in 1914; he was Michael Ibru’s maternal grandfather.
His son, Ovedje, expanded his father’s commerce during the beginning decades of British colonial rule in Urhobo land in the 20th century.
In 1969, Ibru founded Rutam Motors, a transportation arm of his business that dealt in the marketing and distribution of Mazda, Saviem, Tata, and Jeep brands of automobiles.
In 1965, Ibru established Aden Farm, a large palm oil plantation that also included citrus and pineapple, on 800 hectares of land in the old Bendel State.
Over the years, the Ibru Organization has expanded into other areas such as shipping, hospitality, banking, real estate, publishing, insurance, aviation ,oil and gas, amongst others.