Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has renamed The Polytechnic, Ibadan as Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan in honour of a late former governor of the state, Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo.
Olunloyo, who died on April 6, 2025, was the pioneer Principal of the Polytechnic, while he also served as governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983.
The governor announced this on Thursday at the state interdenominational funeral service held in honour of the late former governor at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium, Liberty Road, Ibadan.
Makinde said that Olunloyo lived an eventful life and that his attainment and personality could not be summarised in one sentence, as he was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture and a man of deep conviction.
He said: “Baba left an enduring footprint on the sands of Oyo State and, indeed, Nigeria as a whole.
“He was not a man we could summarise in one sentence. He was a scholar, a statesman, a technocrat, a lover of culture and, above all, a man of deep conviction.
While giving the exhortation, I was listening to Baba Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu and he said in 1983, Baba became governor of Oyo State. Though his time in office was brief, his election victory over a popular incumbent remains a powerful testament to the trust people gave him.
“I talked about preserving and digitising his library yesterday as a mark of honour to Baba Olunloyo.
“Today, we will be giving Baba another honour to immortalise him. He was the first Principal of The Polytechnic, Ibadan; that institution will now be named Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan.
Earlier in his sermon, a retired Methodist Archbishop of Ilesa and Ibadan, Ayo Ladigbolu, described the late Dr Olunloyo as a role model with intellectual inspiration and unassailable integrity who demonstrated leadership in most superior quality during his lifetime.
