Southwest governors have expressed shock over the demise of the Second Republic Governor of Oyo State, Dr Omololu Olunloyo, who passed on barely a week to his 90th birthday in the state.
The said that Olunloyo, a renowned mathematician and scholar, was a great loss to Oyo State and the people of Ibadan in particular and South-West and Nigeria as a whole.
In a condolence message released on Sunday, the Chairman of the South-West Governors Forum and Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, stated that the development has denied the region opportunity to further tap into the academia’s wealth of knowledge.
Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, sympathized with his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde; the deceased’s family, friends and associates, urged them to take heart as the late Olunloyo lived a fulfilled life.
He described the late Olunloyo, who governed Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983, as a seasoned administrator, mathematician and scholar of high repute and a renowned technocrat who distinguished himself as a genius and intellectual during his lifetime.
“On behalf of my family, the government and people of Lagos State, as well as the South-West Governors Forum, I commiserate with my brother, Governor Seyi Makinde, and the government and people of Oyo State on the death of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo.
“I also sympathise with immediate family of the deceased, sons and daughters of Ibadan, the extended Olunloyo family, and deceased friends and associates over the departure of the accomplished scholar.
“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.
“He was Commissioner for Economic Development for the Western Region in 1962 at the age of 27 and later served as Commissioner for Community Development, Education (twice), Special Duties, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs before being elected as the Governor of Oyo State during the Second Republic.
“He served Oyo State passionately as Governor during his three months in office, contributing his quota to the growth and development of the State. He was also a political leader in Oyo State before his death.
“I pray that Almighty God be pleased with the soul of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo and grant the family and the people of Ibadan, Oyo State, and the South-West of Nigeria the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
