MacTutor
Victor Olunloyo
Punch
Laolu Afolabi chronicles the life and legacy of a former governor of Old Oyo State, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo, his achievements, struggles and final journey on April 6, 2025, days before his 90th birthday
On Sunday, Nigerians woke up to the news of the passing of a prodigious intellect, renowned scholar, distinguished statesman, and former governor of the Old Oyo State, Dr Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo. He died a few days before his 90th birthday, specifically on April 14.
Initially, his death was thought to be one of the many rumours circulating in April, his birthday month. He had been having repeated brushes with false death reports. In April 2024, nearly a year before his actual death, the statesman broke his silence over yet another rumour of his passing. Earlier in June 2022, a similar rumour made the rounds that he had died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Days later, his family issued a statement saying he was alive but battling age-related ailments.
When asked in April 2024 if the repeated rumours had affected him, Olunloyo said, "No, not at all. This is not the first time. Those breaking death news and the person presumed dead will all die one day. I've been lucky. My father died at 42, while my mother died at 102. I'm 89. I've crossed the expected life age."
For those who knew him well, the age of 89 was significant. He had often told those closest to him that he would die at that age. During an interview in April 2024, when asked about the famous quote by Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar – "The Ides of March are here" – his response was, "Yet they were not gone." He later said he would die in later years, but he eventually passed on at 89.
Another significant thing about him was that he died a warrior. He was the Balogun of Oyo. He was the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who successfully installed the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in 1970. For his heroic act, the late monarch conferred on him the title of the Balogun of Oyo. Following the demise of the Alaafin on April 22, 2022, Olunloyo held the forte as the Balogun and finally joined Alaafin Adeyemi the night of the coronation of the new Alaafin, Oba Akeem Owoade.
Early years, education
Born on April 14, 1935, Olunloyo came from the first educated family in Ibadan. His family was the first to go to school in 1853 when David and Anna Hinderer came as the first missionaries to Ibadan. The first woman in the family to attend school was Yejide Olunloyo, after whom Yejide Grammar School, Ibadan, was named. Olunloyo was born to a Christian father, Horatio Olunloyo, the son of an Anglican priest and a Muslim mother, Alhaja Bintu Tejumola Olunloyo. He was named Victor by the priest and AbdulAkeem by the Chief Imam of Ibadanland at the time. He was the only son of his mother.
Dr Olunloyo's father built the first house on Oke-Ado road in Ibadan and only slept in that house for one night as he passed on the next day. Dr Olunloyo thereafter lived in that house from where he was taken to a private hospital in Ibadan on Saturday, March 29, 2025. He built his own house at Ikolaba GRA, but he lived in his father's Molete residence.
A prodigious intellect from an early age, Olunloyo pursued his education with distinction. In 1947, about 2,002 students applied to the Government College, Ibadan. According to him, one Ademola Idowu came first in the entry examination, and the late Chief Lekan Are came second while he was rated in 10th position. The first 10 were given scholarships and he was the only one who came from Standard 5, as others had passed through Standard 6. In his first year at Government College, Ibadan, he was 21st out of 23 students when the result was released. Subsequently, he was the first until he graduated.
Dr Olunloyo completed his two-year Higher School Certificate in just three months, securing the first position in the entire Ibadan province. The remarkable achievement earned him admission to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of St Andrews, the oldest Scottish university, founded in 1411. Upon his arrival, he requested to begin from the second year, but the Senate rejected his request. Undeterred, he visited a professor's house on a rainy day and pleaded for a chance to take a test within seven days. The university agreed to set exams in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, with each test lasting three hours. He scored 84 in Physics, 88 in Chemistry, and 98 in Mathematics. Impressed by his performance, the university granted his request, allowing him to skip the first year and start directly in the second year.
He enjoyed scholarships from the Western Nigeria Development Corporation, now Odua Limited, headed then by the late Pa Alfred Rewane. He used the first scholarship for his first degree in Mechanical Engineering. Dr Olunloyo graduated with a First Class (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of St Andrews, becoming the University Prizeman and visited Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth.
In one of his interviews, Olunloyo said the reality of his award as the University Prizeman had not dawned on him until Prof (Mrs) Bolanle Awe, who graduated alongside him from the same university, told him that it was a rare honour for himself and the university.
Known for his outstanding academic achievements, Olunloyo earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Number Theory from St. Andrews University in Scotland at the age of 25. He completed his PhD in two years.
On his return to Nigeria, he joined the University College, Ibadan, on February 1, 1961, and by May 5 he was already promoted. At that time, the University College, Ibadan, had no Faculty of Engineering, so he taught Mathematics as a lecturer. Olunloyo taught Logic and Abstract Algebra. Among those he taught were the Emeritus Chairman of The PUNCH, Ajibola Ogunshola; the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi and former Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero.
Foray into politics
Though his father was an ally of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Olunloyo chose the Second Premier of the Western Region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, as his political mentor. He, however, had his utmost respect and reverence for Awolowo till he breathed his last. Olunloyo, at 27 years of age, became the Commissioner for Economic Planning under Dr Moses Majekodunmi as administrator, during the emergency rule imposed on the Western Region by Sir Tafawa Balewa. He later aligned himself with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons. Olunloyo later headed the ministries of education and local government and chieftaincy affairs under General Adeyinka Adebayo as Military Governor of the Western State of Nigeria. He shone brilliantly in his activities and was awarded the best civilian commissioner at the time. It was his intervention as commissioner that resolved the logjam surrounding the emergence of Oba Adeyemi as the Alaafin of Oyo. He was also the first rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan before he was removed by the successive administration of Brig-Gen Oluwole Rotimi. Olunloyo was to later head federal research institutes in Nigeria, among other subsidiaries. He was also a former chairman of the Odua Investment Limited, among others.
In 1983, Dr Olunloyo was drawn into the Oyo State governorship election by the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Arisekola Alao, and the late Iyalode of Ibadanland, High Chief Aminat Abiodun. According to Olunloyo, the late Iyalode was the first and last person to contribute to the campaign fund. At the time, the former governor, the late Chief Bola Ige, was preparing for a constitutionally permitted second term. However, a coalition of Ibadan leaders insisted that an educated Ibadan man should become governor. They campaigned under the slogan, "Omo wa ni, e je ko se," mobilising forces and resources to secure the victory of the first Ibadan-born individual to become governor of the state.
Dr Olunloyo won the Oyo State governorship election in October 1983, defeating the incumbent, Chief Bola Ige. His victory was later affirmed by the inquiry led by the late Justice Bola Balakin. However, Olunloyo's time in office was short-lived, lasting only three months before the December 31, 1983 coup led by then-Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari. Following the coup, Olunloyo was among those banned from contesting in elections by the political parties formed by Gen Sani Abacha. His subsequent attempts to run for governorship in 1999 and 2003 were thwarted by the complexities of party politics in the Peoples Democratic Party. He withdrew from frontline politics but remained a respected public intellectual and was often consulted for his insights on national issues.
Connoisseur par excellence
Apart from his training in Mathematics and Engineering, Olunloyo had a deep knowledge and appreciation of the arts, food, wine, and music. He was a walking encyclopaedia. He was a man of quality, style, and taste. A wine connoisseur, he was skilled in identifying different wines and understanding their complexities. He was also a lover of both contemporary and classical music. Olunloyo had a great love for books, and his library was filled with a wide range of texts. He had a collection of original Shakespeare albums from which he would often recite portions of works such as Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and many others. His library also contained many engineering textbooks on topics such as the strength of materials, beams and columns, and water structures, among others.
Olunloyo had a particular passion for music, and his collection was extensive. In his library, he kept the complete works of classical composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frederick Handel, as well as African icons such as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Hubert Ogunde, Ebenezer Obey, and King Sunny Ade. He would often sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from start to finish. The late Olunloyo also had a great love for his garden, where he brought plants from various places around the world.
His hobbies
Olunloyo was not just all about books. He was a modest man. When he was in university, he was the President of the Musical Society. At the Government College, Ibadan, he was an ace cricket bowler. He described himself as the terror of the team. He also loved good food. His family members recalled he ate amala and chicken on Saturday evening. Olunloyo loved his children and went all out to give them a befitting education. He was known for his sharp memory, wit, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. His impressive academic legacy was matched by a distinguished career in public service, having held multiple high-ranking offices, including serving as executive chairman of various scientific research institutes. In all these, Olunloyo was attested by all as an incorruptible man. He lived a modest life, with only one house in his name in Ibadan.
His final journey
Olunloyo battled an enlarged prostate for many years and also suffered a stroke from which he recovered. He was frequently in and out of hospitals, with one notable occasion in June 2022 when he was rumoured to have died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. He had since recovered and was living quietly in his Molete residence.
His final journey began with a routine hospital check-up, after which he was admitted. On the evening of Saturday, April 5, after having his dinner, he asked one of his close relatives to come by earlier on Sunday, as he would need assistance for his doctor's appointment. However, around midnight, Olunloyo went into shock and never recovered. He was pronounced dead at around 1:40am. His remains were transferred to a private mortuary on Oke-Ado Road on Sunday morning.
Olunloyo's legacy is multifaceted – he will be remembered as a scholar, a technocrat, and a thoughtful politician. As Shakespeare wrote, "Here goeth Caesar, when cometh another."
By Laolu Afolabi
7th April 2025 © Punch
Initially, his death was thought to be one of the many rumours circulating in April, his birthday month. He had been having repeated brushes with false death reports. In April 2024, nearly a year before his actual death, the statesman broke his silence over yet another rumour of his passing. Earlier in June 2022, a similar rumour made the rounds that he had died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Days later, his family issued a statement saying he was alive but battling age-related ailments.
When asked in April 2024 if the repeated rumours had affected him, Olunloyo said, "No, not at all. This is not the first time. Those breaking death news and the person presumed dead will all die one day. I've been lucky. My father died at 42, while my mother died at 102. I'm 89. I've crossed the expected life age."
For those who knew him well, the age of 89 was significant. He had often told those closest to him that he would die at that age. During an interview in April 2024, when asked about the famous quote by Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar – "The Ides of March are here" – his response was, "Yet they were not gone." He later said he would die in later years, but he eventually passed on at 89.
Another significant thing about him was that he died a warrior. He was the Balogun of Oyo. He was the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs who successfully installed the late Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi in 1970. For his heroic act, the late monarch conferred on him the title of the Balogun of Oyo. Following the demise of the Alaafin on April 22, 2022, Olunloyo held the forte as the Balogun and finally joined Alaafin Adeyemi the night of the coronation of the new Alaafin, Oba Akeem Owoade.
Early years, education
Born on April 14, 1935, Olunloyo came from the first educated family in Ibadan. His family was the first to go to school in 1853 when David and Anna Hinderer came as the first missionaries to Ibadan. The first woman in the family to attend school was Yejide Olunloyo, after whom Yejide Grammar School, Ibadan, was named. Olunloyo was born to a Christian father, Horatio Olunloyo, the son of an Anglican priest and a Muslim mother, Alhaja Bintu Tejumola Olunloyo. He was named Victor by the priest and AbdulAkeem by the Chief Imam of Ibadanland at the time. He was the only son of his mother.
Dr Olunloyo's father built the first house on Oke-Ado road in Ibadan and only slept in that house for one night as he passed on the next day. Dr Olunloyo thereafter lived in that house from where he was taken to a private hospital in Ibadan on Saturday, March 29, 2025. He built his own house at Ikolaba GRA, but he lived in his father's Molete residence.
A prodigious intellect from an early age, Olunloyo pursued his education with distinction. In 1947, about 2,002 students applied to the Government College, Ibadan. According to him, one Ademola Idowu came first in the entry examination, and the late Chief Lekan Are came second while he was rated in 10th position. The first 10 were given scholarships and he was the only one who came from Standard 5, as others had passed through Standard 6. In his first year at Government College, Ibadan, he was 21st out of 23 students when the result was released. Subsequently, he was the first until he graduated.
Dr Olunloyo completed his two-year Higher School Certificate in just three months, securing the first position in the entire Ibadan province. The remarkable achievement earned him admission to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of St Andrews, the oldest Scottish university, founded in 1411. Upon his arrival, he requested to begin from the second year, but the Senate rejected his request. Undeterred, he visited a professor's house on a rainy day and pleaded for a chance to take a test within seven days. The university agreed to set exams in Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics, with each test lasting three hours. He scored 84 in Physics, 88 in Chemistry, and 98 in Mathematics. Impressed by his performance, the university granted his request, allowing him to skip the first year and start directly in the second year.
He enjoyed scholarships from the Western Nigeria Development Corporation, now Odua Limited, headed then by the late Pa Alfred Rewane. He used the first scholarship for his first degree in Mechanical Engineering. Dr Olunloyo graduated with a First Class (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from the University of St Andrews, becoming the University Prizeman and visited Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth.
In one of his interviews, Olunloyo said the reality of his award as the University Prizeman had not dawned on him until Prof (Mrs) Bolanle Awe, who graduated alongside him from the same university, told him that it was a rare honour for himself and the university.
Known for his outstanding academic achievements, Olunloyo earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics and Number Theory from St. Andrews University in Scotland at the age of 25. He completed his PhD in two years.
On his return to Nigeria, he joined the University College, Ibadan, on February 1, 1961, and by May 5 he was already promoted. At that time, the University College, Ibadan, had no Faculty of Engineering, so he taught Mathematics as a lecturer. Olunloyo taught Logic and Abstract Algebra. Among those he taught were the Emeritus Chairman of The PUNCH, Ajibola Ogunshola; the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor W. F. Kumuyi and former Inspector General of Police, Sunday Ehindero.
Foray into politics
Though his father was an ally of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Olunloyo chose the Second Premier of the Western Region, Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola, as his political mentor. He, however, had his utmost respect and reverence for Awolowo till he breathed his last. Olunloyo, at 27 years of age, became the Commissioner for Economic Planning under Dr Moses Majekodunmi as administrator, during the emergency rule imposed on the Western Region by Sir Tafawa Balewa. He later aligned himself with the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons. Olunloyo later headed the ministries of education and local government and chieftaincy affairs under General Adeyinka Adebayo as Military Governor of the Western State of Nigeria. He shone brilliantly in his activities and was awarded the best civilian commissioner at the time. It was his intervention as commissioner that resolved the logjam surrounding the emergence of Oba Adeyemi as the Alaafin of Oyo. He was also the first rector of The Polytechnic, Ibadan before he was removed by the successive administration of Brig-Gen Oluwole Rotimi. Olunloyo was to later head federal research institutes in Nigeria, among other subsidiaries. He was also a former chairman of the Odua Investment Limited, among others.
In 1983, Dr Olunloyo was drawn into the Oyo State governorship election by the late Aare Musulumi of Yorubaland, Alhaji Arisekola Alao, and the late Iyalode of Ibadanland, High Chief Aminat Abiodun. According to Olunloyo, the late Iyalode was the first and last person to contribute to the campaign fund. At the time, the former governor, the late Chief Bola Ige, was preparing for a constitutionally permitted second term. However, a coalition of Ibadan leaders insisted that an educated Ibadan man should become governor. They campaigned under the slogan, "Omo wa ni, e je ko se," mobilising forces and resources to secure the victory of the first Ibadan-born individual to become governor of the state.
Dr Olunloyo won the Oyo State governorship election in October 1983, defeating the incumbent, Chief Bola Ige. His victory was later affirmed by the inquiry led by the late Justice Bola Balakin. However, Olunloyo's time in office was short-lived, lasting only three months before the December 31, 1983 coup led by then-Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari. Following the coup, Olunloyo was among those banned from contesting in elections by the political parties formed by Gen Sani Abacha. His subsequent attempts to run for governorship in 1999 and 2003 were thwarted by the complexities of party politics in the Peoples Democratic Party. He withdrew from frontline politics but remained a respected public intellectual and was often consulted for his insights on national issues.
Connoisseur par excellence
Apart from his training in Mathematics and Engineering, Olunloyo had a deep knowledge and appreciation of the arts, food, wine, and music. He was a walking encyclopaedia. He was a man of quality, style, and taste. A wine connoisseur, he was skilled in identifying different wines and understanding their complexities. He was also a lover of both contemporary and classical music. Olunloyo had a great love for books, and his library was filled with a wide range of texts. He had a collection of original Shakespeare albums from which he would often recite portions of works such as Hamlet, Julius Caesar, and many others. His library also contained many engineering textbooks on topics such as the strength of materials, beams and columns, and water structures, among others.
Olunloyo had a particular passion for music, and his collection was extensive. In his library, he kept the complete works of classical composers like Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach, and George Frederick Handel, as well as African icons such as Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, Hubert Ogunde, Ebenezer Obey, and King Sunny Ade. He would often sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" from start to finish. The late Olunloyo also had a great love for his garden, where he brought plants from various places around the world.
His hobbies
Olunloyo was not just all about books. He was a modest man. When he was in university, he was the President of the Musical Society. At the Government College, Ibadan, he was an ace cricket bowler. He described himself as the terror of the team. He also loved good food. His family members recalled he ate amala and chicken on Saturday evening. Olunloyo loved his children and went all out to give them a befitting education. He was known for his sharp memory, wit, and an insatiable thirst for knowledge. His impressive academic legacy was matched by a distinguished career in public service, having held multiple high-ranking offices, including serving as executive chairman of various scientific research institutes. In all these, Olunloyo was attested by all as an incorruptible man. He lived a modest life, with only one house in his name in Ibadan.
His final journey
Olunloyo battled an enlarged prostate for many years and also suffered a stroke from which he recovered. He was frequently in and out of hospitals, with one notable occasion in June 2022 when he was rumoured to have died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan. He had since recovered and was living quietly in his Molete residence.
His final journey began with a routine hospital check-up, after which he was admitted. On the evening of Saturday, April 5, after having his dinner, he asked one of his close relatives to come by earlier on Sunday, as he would need assistance for his doctor's appointment. However, around midnight, Olunloyo went into shock and never recovered. He was pronounced dead at around 1:40am. His remains were transferred to a private mortuary on Oke-Ado Road on Sunday morning.
Olunloyo's legacy is multifaceted – he will be remembered as a scholar, a technocrat, and a thoughtful politician. As Shakespeare wrote, "Here goeth Caesar, when cometh another."
By Laolu Afolabi
7th April 2025 © Punch