Former Oyo State Governor Dr. Omololu Olunloyo passed away on Sunday, April 6, just a few days before his 90th birthday celebration. Here are 11 things you may not know about the late Dr. Omololu Olunloyo.
1. First educated family in Ibadan
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.
2. Named by Priest and Imam
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.
3. Serial Scholar
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.
4. Completed PhD in two years at 25
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.
5. Commissioner at 27
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.
6. First Poly Ibadan Rector
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.
7. Defeated Bola Ige With Ibadan Agenda
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.
8. Short-lived Governorship
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.
9. Failed Attempts to become Governor again
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.
10. Wine Connoisseur, Music Lover…
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.
11. Lived in Historic Father’s House
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.
