Good People of Oyo State
How are you today?
The rains came down heavily today, just as we were meant to deliver a tribute at the commendation service for the late Dr Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo. Nature had its way, and while the formal delivery could not hold as planned, I felt it was important to still share the words I had hoped to speak.
Because this was not just any man.
Also, in recognition of his indelible impact on education and leadership, I have today approved the renaming of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where he served as its first Rector, to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.
It is a small but meaningful way to ensure that generations to come will know the name, remember the story, and be inspired by the legacy.
Please find below the full text of the tribute I was meant to deliver.
(Read the Full Speech Below)
Being the Speech for the Interdenominational Commendation Service for His Excellency Dr Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo Held on Thursday, 26 June 2025
Today, we gather not just to mourn, but to honour. To reflect not only on a life well lived, but on a life that left deep and enduring footprints on the sands of Oyo State’s history, and indeed, Nigeria’s.
Dr Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo was not a man you could summarise in a sentence. He was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture and above all, a man of deep conviction.
He was omo Ibadan gidi , omo a kì í f’owó rà bí ọmọlúàbí, born in 1935 into a household that embraced both Christianity and Islam. A symbol of unity that foreshadowed his lifelong ability to bridge divides, build institutions, and inspire across generations.
By 1961, he had earned a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of St Andrews, a feat that placed him among the continent’s brightest minds. By the age of 27, he was already Commissioner for Economic Development in the old Western Region, a record of youthful brilliance we must leave behind as an example for our children.
He served across multiple ministries — Education, Community Development, Chieftaincy Affairs — and everywhere he went, he carried a reputation for deep intellect, unshakeable integrity, and fearless conviction.
In 1983, Dr Olunloyo became Governor of Oyo State. Though his time in office was brief, curtailed by the military coup that December, his election victory over a popular incumbent remains a powerful testament to the trust people placed in him.
One of the most striking things he said about politics still holds true today. I read that he once visited Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who asked him why he was not in the UPN — the dominant party in southwestern Nigeria at the time. Instead, he was in the NPN, the national ruling party. Dr Olunloyo, who I believe had calculated the mathematical probabilities, replied that the UPN would not win — because, as he put it, “good people don’t always win.” He advised that one should go where victory is assured, and begin the process of re-engineering from within. It was a controversial but deeply strategic statement. History records that he did go on to win — defeating Chief Bola Ige of the UPN by about 500,000 votes.
Outside politics, he was a builder of minds and institutions. As the first rector of both The Polytechnic Ibadan and Kwara State Polytechnic, he helped shape vocational education in Nigeria. He chaired several state and national boards and played a quiet but critical role in the installation of traditional rulers — including the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, who has also joined his ancestors.
Yet for all his accomplishments, Dr Olunloyo lived a modest life. He never built mansions. He had no long convoy. What he had was his name — and he kept it clean. That, in itself, is a legacy.
He loved ideas. He loved music. He loved this land. And he loved to speak the truth, whether it pleased or pained.
He was a son of the soil. A man of the mind. A leader of depth.
May his memory remind us all that public service, when done with heart and honour, still matters.
And may his soul rest in perfect peace.
Sun re o, Baba rere.
Thank you, and God bless you.
Seyi Makinde FNSE