The city of Ibadan woke up to silence today. Not the usual hum of buses and traders—but the silence that follows the exit of a man whose name has echoed through its streets for decades.
Dr. Victor Omololu Olunloyo, former governor of Oyo State and a son of the soil, has died at the age of 89.
A mathematician, statesman, and proud Ibadan indigene, Olunloyo was not just a politician—he was a walking archive of Nigeria’s political evolution. When he became governor in 1983, he made history as the first Ibadan man to hold that office. Though his tenure was short—just three months before a military coup—it left a lasting impression on the political memory of the Southwest.
For weeks, he had battled age-related ailments, his family quietly by his side. And in the early hours of Sunday, April 6, he slipped away peacefully, just three months to his 90th birthday.
Close family sources say preparations are already underway to honour his life with the dignity it deserves. And rightly so, this was a man who straddled academia and politics with grace, who could debate policy with the sharpness of a scholar and yet share old Ibadan proverbs with ease.
Oyo has lost a voice. Ibadan has lost a son. Nigeria has lost a mind.
The drums may be silent today, but when they sound again, they will beat in his honour.
Funeral details will be announced by the family in due course.
