Many prominent Nigerians, including Governor Seyi Makinde, gathered at the Obafemi Awolowo Stadium in Ibadan on Thursday for an interdenominational service to bid farewell to the late Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, the former Governor of Oyo State.

The burial programme, which began weeks ago, featured the renaming of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, after the late Olunloyo.

The former governor, who passed away on April 6, 2025, was the pioneer Principal of the Polytechnic. He also served as Governor of Oyo State between October 1 and December 31, 1983.

In his brief remarks, Governor Makinde stated that there was no better way to honour Olunloyo’s contribution to the education sector at both state and national levels than to immortalise him.

The governor said Olunloyo lived an eventful life and that his accomplishments and personality could not be captured in a single sentence, describing him as a scholar, statesman, technocrat, cultural enthusiast, and a man of deep conviction.

“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, who said that in 1983, Baba became the 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 had in 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,” he said.

In his sermon, the 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 exemplary leadership throughout his lifetime.

The event was attended by the Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Barr. Abdulraheem Bayo Lawal; wife of a former Military Governor of the old Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Dupe Jemibewon; wife of a former Governor of Oyo State, Chief (Mrs) Mutiat Ladoja; former Deputy Governor and PDP Deputy National Chairman (South), Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja; and former Deputy Governor, Barr. Hazeem Gbolarumi.