As culture demands, there are some things I cannot put here. I can only urge you to help me share so that it can get to appropriate authorities or those who may be willing to help Baba. He must not be allowed to die just like that.
Yesterday, I was a guest of a female friend, a childhood one for that matter, who lives close to the residence of Dr Victor Omololu Olunloyo, in Ibadan.
Immediately she showed me the residence of the former governor, an inquisitive me asked if she could take me in to interact with Baba and she
said: “I invited you because of him. I have been noticing his ill-health. I am concerned and I don’t know what to do. I am thinking if you can put it to public notice, help may come his way. Somebody like him must not be left to die like that.”
As were talking, leaning on the verandah railings, we saw the ‘mathematician’ himself, with a walking stick, moving towards his aiyekooto bird, inside his expansive compound, a walking distance to the residence of late garrison commander of Oyo politics, High Chief Lamidi Adedibu. She beckoned me to observe him.
When we finally saw Baba, he could not talk too much but he thanked Governor Abiola Ajimobi for all the good things he has done for him. It is just that Baba needs urgent medical and financial help.
None of Baba’s cars is working – they are all grounded. He told us that “there is no kobo in the house.” “Baba’s condition may worsen any moment from now. Don’t you see from his mouth. I think it is stroke. It is better we help him prevent it before it worsens. I was told he also has prostrate…,” one of the neighbours confided in me.
It would be recalled that the elder stateman has been going from one hospital to another within Ibadan after he was said to have been diagnosed of various life-threatening ailments.
My host told me that last year Governor Abiola Ajimobi paid Baba’s bills for an extensive medical trip to the United Kingdom, but that he has not been able to see Oyo State number one recently.
For introduction sake, Olunloyo, at age 26, in 1961, bagged a Ph.D. from St. Andrews University. His thesis was on the Numerical Determination of the Solutions of Eigenvalue Problems of the Sturm–LiouvilleType.
Few months after, at age 27, in 1962, he was appointed Commissioner for Economic Development for the Western Region in the cabinet of Dr. Moses Majekodunmi and was re-appointed when Colonel Adeyinka Adebayo was appointed military governor of Western State.
He was also Commissioner for Community Development, Education (twice), Special Duties, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs which includes crowning of two of Nigeria’s monarchs -Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Jimoh Oyewunmi.
He was later appointed chairman of the Western Nigerian Development Corporation.
Olunloyo, now 81, was governor of the Old Oyo State for three months (October – December 1983) before the military regime of then General Muhammadu Buhari struck. Contesting under the then National Party of Nigeria (NPN), Olunloyo, then 48, defeated late Chief Ajibola Ige of Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), then an incumbent, and was succeeded by Major Oladayo Popoola.:~ Akinola Dhikrullah Debo Oranmiyan II.
