By John Moses
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has paid glowing tribute to the late Dr Omololu Olunloyo, describing the former Oyo State governor as a “brilliant genius” whose contributions to Nigeria’s political evolution and national unity were both profound and enduring.
Obasanjo made the remarks on Wednesday while chairing a Requiem Symposium held in Olunloyo’s honour in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. He hailed the late statesman not only for his intellect but also for the impact of his ideas and writings.
“We are gathered not to mourn, but to celebrate a life that deserves honour,” Obasanjo said. “He was more than a scholar, more than an author — he was a genius in the truest sense of the word. A man of exceptional intelligence who approached issues with seeming levity, yet took everything he did with great seriousness.”
The former president also recalled Olunloyo’s critical role in resolving national crises, including the ascension of Oba Lamidi Adeyemi as Alaafin of Oyo and the Agbekoya uprising, during his own tenure as Nigeria’s military leader.
Dr Wale Babalakin, National President of the Government College Ibadan Old Boys Association, where Olunloyo studied, highlighted the late intellectual’s legacy as one the school aimed to emulate. He said that with 11 National Merit Award recipients to its credit, the school would redouble efforts to nurture new generations of thinkers.
Panelist Professor Toyin Falola of the University of Texas praised Olunloyo’s mastery of humour as a political tool. “His jokes were layered with cultural meaning and often carried deep political messages,” Falola said. “He was uniquely Ibadan — witty, thoughtful and always incisive.”
Another speaker, Dr Lasisi Olagunju, a journalist, discussed Olunloyo’s foresight, noting a cryptic political prediction the late leader published in a Nigerian Tribune column in the 1990s. “He foresaw the political turmoil that struck Nigeria between 1993 and 1998,” Olagunju said. “It was both a puzzle and a warning.”
The event also heard from Dr Kolade Mosuro, a member of the organising committee, who spoke of a project to preserve Olunloyo’s vast intellectual contributions in an upcoming 200-page publication.
