Nigeria’s President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has conveyed his deepest condolences to the government and people of Oyo State following the demise of Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, the former Governor of the old Oyo State.
President Tinubu, on behalf of the Federal Government, extended sympathies to the Olunloyo family and all who knew and respected the late elder statesman and scholar.
Reflecting on Dr. Olunloyo’s tenure as governor of the old Oyo State, President Tinubu remarked, “Although his time in office was brief, his tenure was marked by exceptional vision and leadership. The abrupt end to his administration due to military intervention did not deter him from continuing to serve the nation.”
The President in a condolence message to the family and government of Oyo State further applauded the late governor for his commitment to Nigeria’s unity, progress, and intellectual advancement, emphasising that his contributions will remain enduring milestones in the nation’s history.
President Tinubu concluded his condolences with prayers, asking the Almighty God grant olunloyo eternal rest and bring solace to all who mourn the distinguished statesman.
“Dr. Olunloyo will be celebrated in academic circles for his brilliance and foundational contributions to applied mathematics and number theory. As an educator, he profoundly influenced future leaders and fortified educational institutions,” He stated.
The President pays tribute to Dr Olunloyo’s remarkable academic and professional journey and his fervent belief in education as a transformative tool for national development.
Background
Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo was born in Ibadan, on 14 April, 1935, by the late Horatio Olunloyo and Alhaja Bintu Tejumola Abebi Olunloyo
The late Omololu Olunloyo had his Ph.D from St. Andrews University in 1961. His thesis was on the Numerical Determination of the Solutions of Eigenvalue Problems of the Sturm–Liouville Type. He published several other papers on Number Theory and Applied Mathematics.
The Politician
He was a mathematician and politician who served as the governor of Oyo State from 1 October, 1983 to 31 December 1983, when the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari took power.
He later became a power and an arrowhead in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State.
His Appointments
At the young age of 27, he was appointed Commissioner for Economic Development for the Western Region in 1962, in the cabinet of Dr. Moses Majekodunmi.
Olunloyo was re-appointed when the then Colonel Adeyinka Adebayo (deceased) was appointed military governor of Western State.
He held various other positions, including Commissioner for Community Development, Education (twice), Special Duties, .
As the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, the late Olunloyo supervised the coronations of two prominent Yoruba traditional rulers namely, the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III and the late Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewunmi Ajagungbade.
He was appointed chairman of the Western Nigerian Development Corporation (WNDC).
As Governor
In 1983, Olunloyo ran for the governorship election in the old Oyo State on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) and defeated the incumbent, the late Chief Bola Ige of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), assuming office in October 1983.
His tenure was however shortlived as it ended three months later when the then General Muhammadu Buhari took over power and dismissed the elected government in the Second Republic on 31 December, 1983.
His Latter Years
Olunloyo wanted to be the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2003 governorship election in Oyo State. However, Senator Rasheed Ladoja (now the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland) emerged as the PDP candidate.
In 2009, he was chairman of a panel to investigate the collapse of a part of the Pharmacy Section of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH). The panel blamed the contractor and the state government for the building collapse.
He was elected chairman of the PDP Planning and Strategy Committee for Ibadanland to prepare for the 2011 elections and was also made chairman of the PDP Media and Publicity Committee for the state.
Until his death in the early hours of Sunday, 6 April, 2025, the late Dr Omololu Olunloyo lived a quite life in retirement, away from the public glare at his Molete, Ibadan residence.
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