The entire Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, is enveloped in deep sorrow as the Management formally announces the passing of its Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, Professor Siyan Oyeweso, a distinguished scholar, administrator, and one of Nigeria’s most celebrated historians.
A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr. Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that this profoundly painful event has cast a heavy pall over the University community, leaving staff, students, alumni, and friends of the institution heartbroken.
In his expression of grief, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebayo Simeon Bamire spoke with great emotion about the monumental loss, describing the late Pro-Chancellor as “a towering intellectual, a rare patriot, and a man whose presence brought wisdom, depth, and stability to every table he sat at.”
According to the Vice-Chancellor: “Professor Siyan Oyeweso was not only a scholar of continental reputation; he was a gentleman of uncommon grace, humility, and dignity. His dedication to Obafemi Awolowo University was total. He carried OAU in his heart, and he served with a passion that inspired all who worked with him. His passing is a colossal loss—one that will echo through our Senate chambers, our classrooms, our governing processes, and the collective soul of our University.”
The Vice-Chancellor further noted that Professor Oyeweso’s tenure as Pro-Chancellor was marked by exceptional commitment to peace-building, academic excellence, institutional renewal, and administrative harmony. His leadership style was calm, inclusive, principled, and richly humane. He brought a new sense of stability and purpose to the Governing Council. He was also a bridge-builder, a mentor to the young, a compass for his colleagues, and a steadying influence during challenging moments.
The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University recalls with pride his invaluable contributions to national scholarship, his groundbreaking historical writings, and his lifelong devotion to advancing knowledge and developing future leaders. His intellectual footprints will remain indelible in Nigerian academia, while his administrative legacy at OAU will continue to shape the institution for years to come.
The University extends its deepest condolences to his family, particularly his wife and children, as well as his colleagues, associates, and the broader academic community who respected and adored him. May they find strength and consolation in the knowledge that his life touched countless others and that his legacy is eternally secure.
This illustrious statesman of scholarships would be buried today according to Islamic rite.
