Today, we bow our heads in deep sorrow as we bid farewell to an uncommon Nigerian—
Professor Siyan Oyeweso—a distinguished historian, a visionary administrator, a global scholar of repute, and until his passing, the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.
Ina li Lah, wa Ina ilaehi rajiuna.
We are bound in pains to accept what God has placed on us today, but this is a loss we will for long mourn in our hearts.
Seven years ago, I wrote in admiration of his character, his service, and his unwavering commitment to the people. Today, those words have transformed from a call for support into a solemn testimony of a life well lived—one defined by dignity, sacrifice, and extraordinary devotion to humanity.
Politics in Nigeria has often been reduced to the playground of money bags, yet Siyan refused to walk that path. He showed us that public service could still be honourable, clean, and purposeful. He embodied the belief that leadership is not an avenue for self-aggrandizement but an opportunity to uplift others.
There was hardly any developmental initiative in Ede—his beloved hometown—in which he did not play a central role. His contributions were never about showmanship; they were acts of love. He was a tireless mobilizer, a motivator of men, and a generous spirit who consistently used his hard-earned resources for the good of his people.
Ask his colleagues at LASU, UNIOSUN, the Nigerian Academy of Letters, or any academic community he touched, and they will speak of his integrity, his scholarship, his mentorship, and his rare humility. To know Professor Oyeweso was to encounter a man who lived not for himself but for others.
He stood apart from the rent-seeking political class. He represented merit, competence, and the nobility of service. At the time, I believed wholeheartedly that he deserved the mandate of the people—not because he sought power, but because he consistently demonstrated that he would serve rather than prey. That belief remains unshaken, even in death.
Today, as we lower the remains of this illustrious son of Ede, into the Mother Earth in accordance with his Islamic faith, we are reminded that greatness is not measured by titles alone, but by the lives we touch and the legacies we leave behind. Professor Siyan Oyeweso touched countless lives. His legacy will continue to speak for generations.
May Allah forgive his shortcomings, illuminate his grave, reward his tireless service, and grant him Al-Jannah Firdaus.
Amin ya Robi.
