Veteran Politician Shuaib Oyedokun Pens Tribute To ‘Strategist’ Victor Olunloyo, Pays Condolence Visit To His Family In Ibadan
A prominent politician in the country, Alhaji Shuaib Afolabi Oyedokun, on Monday paid a condolence visit to the residence of late Chief Victor Omolou Olunloyo in Ibadan, Oyo State .
The veteran politician was the old Oyo State NPN Secretary and later served as Secretary to the old Oyo State Government under Dr Omololu Olunloyo.
The late Dr Olunlolyo, who was born on April 14, 1935, died 8 days before his 90th birthday on Sunday.
Dr Olunloyo, who got his doctorate degree in Mathematics in 1961, served as governor of old Oyo State from October 1, 1983, to December 31,1983.
He was also the pioneer Rector of Ibadan Polytechnic ditto Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin.
In a piece sent to Team@orientactualmags.com on Monday, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun noted that Dr Omololu Olunloyo was a ‘mathematician who has made a landmark both in nation-building and in politics’,
‘When one goes through the world of Mathematicians who have excelled in nation-building; from Dr. Abdus-Salam of Pakistan ; Dr.Abdalla El-Khosht of Egypt and Dr. CNR Rao of India, one discovers that Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo of Nigeria is a genius, very much in separate class of his own.
When one surveys the terrain of Mathematicians who have excelled in politics, from Tom Lehrer of America; Daniel Moynihan Senator and Ambassador of United Nations and David Cox of United kingdom, it is gratifying to note that our own Olunloyo of Oyo State, doubles as a Mathematician who has made a landmark both in nation-building and in politics.
As a man of proper homework, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo with whom I had the rare privilege of working together in the Government of the old Oyo State, showed himself as an expert, not given to frivolities on issues of identifying opportunities for the growth of the state .
For instance, right from the time he became Governor- elect, he had deployed his mathematical precision and acumen to shop for members of his executives, separating the wheat from the chaff and using mathematical models to analyze issues constructively.
At first ,he penciled my name down as his Commissioner for Education, knowing my wide experience as an educationist while both of us conducted a series of fact-finding missions to different printing houses in the state ,looking for publishers who could meet high standards in the supply of textbooks meant for distribution to schools and colleges under his free and compulsory education programme for Oyo State.
With his mathematical vigour to governance however, and understanding the need to find somebody with high level-headedness to bear on the tumultuous circumstances in which the political landscape in the State was then smothering ,he changed his mind and appointed me as the Secretary to the State Government, even after making wide consultations with Chief Richard Akinjide, Chief Adisa Akinloye, and other movers and shakers of politics in the defunct National Party Of Nigeria, NPN
As a strategist, satirist and humourist, the intellectual antenna of Dr Olunloyo’s sense of social responsibility was always wide awake, even when his social life tended to be salted with humour and wittiticism. He socialized with a sense of purpose, tolerating ‘the inanities of ordinary men; the simperings of socialites and the pomposities of politicians’.
Till he had his last breath, we were still getting in touch on phone and exchanging notes on power and politics, assigning value to our collective experiences towards advancing body of knowledge and blessing posterity.
Good night, Victor Omololu Olunloyo.
The Yoruba race has indeed lost a rare gem and son of the soil . The family of the Olunloyo of Oyo State,( frontline patriarch and leading light in the spread of the Gospel, even right from the days of the missionaries in Nigeria) has lost a jewel.
The Pace-setter State has lost a patriot par Excellence.
I extend my condolences to you all and especially to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for standing by the Elder statesman at all times.
May the Good Lord grant his soul eternal rest. Amen’ he submitted- Team@orientactualmags.com Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com. Thank you.
