OLUNLOYO: A PRODIGY GOES HOME
BY OLUSOLA AJIBOYE,
Many years before I was privileged to meet Dr. Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo, I had read copious narratives about him on the pages of several newspapers.
His activities as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in the old Western Region and his Demeanor as Commissioner for Education in the post democratic Military Administration in Western State earned him the sobriquet “olubewo ojiji” (the impromptu Inspector).
Dr. Olunloyo was the practical educationist on the field. School teachers learnt the virtue of punctuality willy nilly as they could never predict when Olubewo Ojiji would show up during school hours.
Such was the Candour the young erudite commissioner brought into public office. The great mathematician was ever conscious of his deep intellect and had once declared at an informal gathering of his cabinet members that “I have a four man brain tucked into my skull.
“An egregious scholar, Dr. Victor Olunloyo was a voracious reader of written words.
The most noticeable feature at his Molete Residence in Ibadan apart from neatly manicured flowers was a very rich library, filled with books on innumerable subjects and disciplines.
The imposing shelves of books, measuring to the rooftops naturally provoke wide range of questions. During a visit for an interview, the writer could not keep his eyes off the book shelves at every corner of his large living nom, which can be described as a-mine field of knowledge. “Young man, do you know that I have read all these books here apart from those in my studies upstairs? The intellectual possibly read my mind as I visual picked those books.
Dr. Victor Olunloyo fitted the Yoruba definition of an egg-head who is often referred to as omo to mo’we bi Esu’ (a brilliant child like Lucifer) The prodigy was somehow different from the esoteric posturings of academics His fluid relationships with his fellowmen, irrespective of class, expressed in humble dispositions attracted love and affection of those who crossed his path.
When I invited him for a live interview on OSBC Radio Current Affairs Programme in 2010, I had thought he would, like most highly placed public figures in Nigeria decline, citing tight schedules. But I was wrong. The former Governor of Old Oyo State arrived my office for the Interview at the precise hour and after exchanging courtesies said “Sola, Mathematicians are driven by time and precision, hence my decision to ensure no minute is lost of this live engagement”.
I admire his application of brilliance to determine issues different from his discipline. Dr. Olunloyo was at home on any discourse; Science, Arts, Technology, Religion, Philosophy and humanity.
A great fan of the legendary Duro-Ladipo (my father in-law) Dr. Olunloyo thrilled his audience as key note speaker during a public presentation of the late Dramatist Biography when he recited off-hand, the poetic contents of ‘Oba-Koso’ an epic stage play written by the theatre practitioner cover to cover.
The excited guests wondered and enquired if he just read the book. Dr. Olunloyo responded “I read the book in 1964 and has had it ingrained in my brain since then”.
The politician had aged gracefully few years before his passing but did not succumb to the limitations of old age. He was agile in mind and never severed his close tie with his library.
At the peak of speculations and rumours of his death, the writer suddenly got a call from him one afternoon. I was hesitant in saying Hello but in a clear voice, he retorted; “young man, am not dead yet”. We then joked on how the media had turned him into another ZIK and Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who read their Obituaries while still alive.
He told me how he had battled stroke with a determination to stay alive. My last conversation with him was less than a month ago when he expressed his desire to speak with my mother-in-law Chief (Mrs.) Abiodun Duro-Ladipo for her contribution to his auto-biography.
Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo has gone the way of all mortals. He took a final bow on the 6th of April, 2025, eight days to his ninetieth (90th) birthday. The prodigy has shed his canal self, but his erudite contributions to knowledge, science, technology, politics and advancement of his country remain deathless.