One of Africa’s most brilliant scholars, Engr. (Dr.) Victor Omololu Sowemimo Olunloyo, a former governor of Oyo State is 89 years old today.READ FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>>
In 1983, he ran for governor in the old Oyo State on the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, platform, and defeated the incumbent, the late Bola Ige of the Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, assuming office in October 1983. His term ended three months later when General Muhammadu Buhari took over power and dismissed him on December 31, 1983.
A public administrator, engineer, mathematician, polymath, a moving encyclopedia and a man of many parts, Olunloyo was born in Ibadan on 14 April 1935.
His father, Horatio Olunloyo was Christian and his late mother Alhaja Bintu Tejumola Abebi Olunloyo who died October 2013 at 102-year-old was Muslim. His father who was the administrator of Mapo Council between 1944 and 1948 died in December 1948 when Victor Olunloyo was 13 years old.
The older Olunloyo was in charge of the Agodi Prisons, Adeoyo Hospital, Eleiyele Water works, and was the Controller of Mapo Taxes, which went as far as Iwo, Ede, Osogbo then.
Haratio built his house in Molete, Ibadan, moved into his house on the 28th of December, 1948 and died the following day on the 29th of December, 1948, at the age of 42 years.
Well educated, his family was the first to imbibe western education from the missionaries, a century and a half ago, precisely in 1853.
He had his primary education in Lagos at Holy Trinity, Ebute-Ero, left in 1939 and completed it at Methodist School, Olowogbowo in 1940. He also attended St Peters, Aremo, Ibadan between 1941 – 1946 and St Paul’s School, Gbongan in 1947.
A child prodigy, he took first place in examinations held for Standard IV and V pupils in all the schools in Ibadan Province in 1946 and 1947.
He was an entrance scholar and the youngest boy in his class at the prestigious Government College, Ibadan. He came out with a Grade I School Certificate in December 1952.
He also distinguished himself in sports, winning the school athletic and cricket colours, being the school’s opening bowler with a record haul of wickets.
He entered the University College Ibadan in 1953, secured his A-levels privately in 1954 and went on to the University of St. Andrews, Scotland’s oldest University, now 600 years old, where he was from 1955 – 1961.
His star shone there most brilliantly.
He took a Civil/Mechanical General Engineering Degree in 1957, then made a First Class Honours Degree in Mechanical Engineering in June 1958 and a Ph.D. in Mathematics in December, 1960 from St. Andrews University in 1961.
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His thesis was on the Numerical Determination of the Solutions of Eigenvalue Problems of the Sturm–Liouville Type. He published several other papers on number theory and applied mathematics.
He was the winner of five undergraduate class gold medals out of a possible six and the University Prize as well as the British Association for the Advancement of Science Prize.
Shell appointed him for an oil job in Holland in 1957, which he declined.
The Queen invited him to Buckingham Palace as a Distinguished Commonwealth Student.
Olunloyo was appointed Commissioner for Economic Development for the Western Region in 1962 at the age of 27, in the cabinet of Dr. Moses Majekodunmi. He was re-appointed when Colonel Adeyinka Adebayo was appointed military governor of Western State.
Other positions he occupied included Commissioner for Community Development, Education (twice), Special Duties, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Oyo State which includes crowning of two of Nigeria’s monarchs namely the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and the Soun of Ogbomosho King Oyewunmi.
He was once appointed Chairman of the Western Nigerian Development Corporation, the precursor of the present Odua Group of Companies.
He was a scholar, statesman, organist of Saint David’s Anglican Church Kudeti, Ibadan, and an Ibadan aristocrat of Owu Ancestry.
He taught at various times in Nigeria and Britain, particularly University of Ibadan and Ife.
Even, despite advanced age, Doctor, as he is called at home is still absolutely, mentally alert.
Media men from all corners of the world still romance him because of his sense of humour, accuracy and history.
Victor Omololu Olunloyo, may you continue to enjoy further long life in good health and prosperity. May your spectacular knowledge be continually useful and relevant to the society and mankind.READ FULL ARTICLE HERE>>>>
