THE Chairman, South-West Governors Forum and governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Governor Olagunsoye Oyinlola of Osun State; Iba Gani Adams; and a former Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Muktar Shagari, have extolled the leadership virtues of ex-Oyo State governor, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo, 89, who died on Sunday in Ibadan.
Governor Sanwo-Olu described his passing as a great loss to Oyo State and the people of Ibadan in particular and the South-West and Nigeria as a whole.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Gboyega Akosile, sympathised with his Oyo State counterpart, Engineer Seyi Makinde; the deceased’s family, friends and associates, urging them to take heart as the Olunloyo lived a fulfilled life.
He described Olunloyo as a seasoned administrator, mathematician, and scholar of high repute, as well as a renowned technocrat who distinguished himself as a genius and intellectual during his lifetime.
“Dr Omololu Olunloyo was more than a politician and governor. He was a man of many parts who distinguished himself in both private and public sectors, particularly in the education sector as a mathematician, scholar and the first Rector of Ibadan Polytechnic.”
Similarly, Prince Oyinlola described the death of Olunloyo as a terrible depletion of Nigeria’s tribe of patriotic geniuses.
Prince Oyinlola stated this in a condolence statement, describing Olunloyo as a distinguished elder statesman, renowned intellectual, and a man of immense wit and uncommon wisdom.
While declaring that in his death at 89, Nigeria, and the people of Oyo State have lost a patriot, Oyinlola added that the contributions of Olunloyo to Nigeria’s political development, academic growth, and public discourse marked him out as exceptional in service.
He noted that Olunloyo was a brilliant mathematician and engineer whose brief stint as Governor of Oyo State was marked by progressive actions and policies.
“As Commissioner for Education in the old Western State, he left behind footprints of courage and purposeful administration. He was one man who deftly blended the rigours of intellectualism with politics. His death has made the various spheres where he operated poorer. His transition painfully reminds of the diminishing tribe of geniuses in our country,” Oyinlola said.
The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDP-GF) has commiserated with the government and people of Oyo State, particularly the Olunloyo family, over the demise of former governor.
The chairman of the Forum, Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, stated this in a statement by the forum Director-General, Dr Emmanuel Agbo, on Monday in Abuja.
Mohammed said that the forum was saddened by the demise of the deceased, who he described as a “complete gentleman; an exceptional sage, iconic patriot, a devoted elder statesman and devout Christian.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji, also expressed condolences to the government and people of Oyo State, as well as the Olunloyo family, crediting the deceased with relentless contribution to national development, especially for offering his counsel at critical times and opening his door to contemporary politicians to tap from his wealth of experience.
Governor Oyebanji, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Yinka Oyebode, said the Olunloyo left a remarkable record of service, and commitment to the development of Oyo State in particular and Nigeria as a whole.
He noted that the deceased was a distinguished scholar who contributed to the moulding of the nation’s manpower in the education sector before he joined public service, where he also served meritoriously.
In a condolence message titled: Good night, Victor Omololu Olunloyo; Strategist, satirist and humourist, the Secretary to the State Government of old Oyo State, Chief Shuaib Afolabi Oyedokun, said his late boss made a landmark both in nation-building and in politics.
He said Till he had his last breath, they were still discussed on phone and exchanged notes on power and politics, assigning value to our collective experiences towards advancing body of knowledge and blessing posterity.
“As a man of proper homework, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo with whom I have the rare privilege of working together in the government of the old Oyo State, showed himself as an expert, not given to frivolities on issues of identifying opportunities for the growth of the state.
“For instance, right from the time he became Governor-elect, he had deployed his mathematical precision and acumen to shop for members of his executives, separating the wheat from the chaff and using mathematical models to analyse issues constructively.
“At first, he pencilled my name down as his Commissioner for Education, knowing my wide experience as an educationist while both of us conducted series of fact-finding missions to different printing houses in the state, looking for publishers who could meet high standards in the supply of textbooks meant for distribution to schools and colleges under his free and compulsory education programme for Oyo State.
Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, who described Olunloyo as one of the nation’s finest brains, said his death was a great loss to the entire Yoruba land and the nation at large, giving his long, sterling record of service to the nation and humanity.
He said everything should be done to immortalise him and uphold his legacies.
“I was close to the great Olunloyo in the latter part of his life. We spoke regularly and he regaled me from time to time with the rich history and evolution of the Yoruba people and indeed, Nigeria,” Adams said.
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, said in a statement signed by his Chief of Staff, Rotimi Osuntola that though Olunloyo died at a ripe age of 89, his service as well his presence was still needed in the society.
The statement read: “As it is customary in Yorubaland and among Yorubas at home and the Diaspora, no one wants any aged parent to depart into eternity after sojourning on the planet earth, no matter how fruitful, how much accomplishment and how old such a parent might have been at the time of his or her home call. But then, the inevitability of death is non-negotiable.
“Painful as his exit may be, His Excellency, Dr. Olunloyo lived life to its fullest fruitfulness and was a pride to all the Yoruba,” he said.
A former Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Alhaji Mukhtar Shagari described Olunloyo as a man of honour and integrity, as well as a committed patriot and democrat, who served his people and the country well.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Olu Alabi said the demise of Olunloyo was big blow to the politics of principle in the country.
“This is the end of the era of political principles and forthrightness and not of politics of ‘what’s in it for me!’ He was a star in any situation he found himself. He was a known unapologetic politician to the core.” Alabi noted.
A legal practitioner and chieftain of Afenifere, Chief Supo Shonibare, said Olunloyo was one of “those rare breed of patriots who did not see participating in politics & governance as an opportunity for self-enrichment.
Recalling that the deceased was one of those who benefited from Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s Action Group (Egbe Afenifere) educational policy of free education, Shonibare said his first encounter with him was at the 50th anniversary of the founding of Action Group (Egbe Afenifere) event in Ibadan in 2001.
Another personality, Chief Femi Alafe Aluko, expressed sadness that Oyo State lost two eminent politicians: Yekini Adeojo and Dr Olunloyo, within a few days.
According to Alafe Aluko, an old boy of GCI (1972 set) and the Economics teacher from 1983-85, Olunloyo was “an unrepentant and extremely passionate old boy of Government College Ibadan, who he did not miss the functions of his alma mater until he was weighed down by old age and ill health.
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