Abdulgafar Oyeweso: Adeleke, K-RAD, APC, others mourn late foremost historian and OAU Pro-Chancellor
Tributes have started pouring in for the late Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Prof. Abdulgafar Oyeweso who died on Tuesday at 64.
Oyeweso, a foremost historian, was appointed in August last year as the chairman of the board from Osun State University where he was lecturing.
Announcing his death, the younger brother, Olawale Oyeweso, said: “Prof. Oyeweso departed this life on Tuesday, December 2, 2025 at the age of 64 after a brief illness.
“Siyan Oyeweso, a renowned professor of history, educator and mentor touched the lives of countless students and colleagues, political associates, among others. The departed scholar is survived by wife, children and family members.”
Meanwhile his remains has since been buried in his country home, Ede, on Thursday evening according to Islamic rites.
Oyeweso’s death a big loss to Osun and Nigeria – Adeleke
Mourning the departed foremost historian, the Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, expressed sadness about the death of the Ede-born professor, describing his demise as a big loss.
Adeleke, who said he was deeply shaken by the news of the demise of the renowned historian, added: “Osun State and Nigeria have been denied the service of one of the best.’’
The governor extended heartfelt condolences to the immediate family of Prof. Oyeweso, the Timi of Ede and the people of Ede. He also condoled with the management and the entire community of OAU, who have lost a refined leadership of the institution.
His death, a devastating loss that transcends personal grief – K-RAD
In his condolence message, a frontline candidate for the Osun state governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kunle Adegoke, SAN popularly known as K-RAD said the OAU Pro Chancellor’s passing was a devastating loss that transcends personal grief.
Adegoke said this in a statement released and obtained by NewsClick Nigeria on Tuesday.
Read full statement below:
With a heart weighed down by grief, yet anchored in total submission to the unquestionable will of Almighty Allah, Kunle Rasheed Adegoke, SAN mourns the painful passing of Professor Siyan Abdulgafar Oyeweso, Provost of the Postgraduate College and Pro-Chancellor of Obafemi Awolowo University, who departed this world in the early hours of Tuesday, December 2, 2025, after a brief illness.
The news of his passing is a profound shock—one that has left a vacuum difficult to comprehend or fill. Nigeria has lost a rare breed of public intellectual; Osun State has lost one of its finest minds; and the academic community has lost a scholar of uncommon depth, integrity and courage. Professor Oyeweso’s life was a living testimony to the power of education, discipline, and selfless service.
Born on February 1, 1961, Professor Oyeweso was distinguished from an early age by excellence and character. As a young pupil, he emerged as Punctuality Prefect and Best Graduating Pupil, foreshadowing a life defined by responsibility and achievement. His secondary education, including his formative years at Oke-Iragbiji Grammar School in Iragbiji, Osun State, culminated in an outstanding performance at the West African School Certificate Examination in 1978, where he recorded distinctions that further affirmed his exceptional intellect.
He proceeded to study History at the then University of Ife between 1978 and 1982, graduating with a Second Class Upper Division degree. His intellectual curiosity and love for scholarship did not end there. He earned both his Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Intellectual History from the same great institution he would later serve with distinction. As a historian, Professor Oyeweso was meticulous and fearless, always committed to truth, context and intellectual honesty. As a teacher, he was patient, inspiring and deeply invested in the success of his students, many of whom now occupy positions of influence across Nigeria and beyond.
Beyond the classroom and lecture halls, Professor Oyeweso understood that knowledge must serve society. His foray into politics, contesting for the House of Representatives to represent the Ede, Egbedore and Ejigbo Federal Constituency, was driven not by ambition, but by a genuine desire to contribute to national development. He brought the same discipline, wisdom and moral clarity that defined his academic life into the public arena, earning respect across partisan lines.
He was also widely acknowledged as a peacemaker, a calm voice in times of tension, a bridge between opposing views, and a counsel sought in moments of uncertainty. His ability to combine scholarship with statesmanship set him apart, making him a reference point for thoughtful leadership in Nigeria.
Adegoke describes Professor Oyeweso’s death as “a devastating loss that transcends personal grief.” According to him, “Professor Oyeweso was one of those rare Nigerians who understood our past deeply, engaged our present responsibly, and remained hopeful about our future. He believed in the power of ideas, the dignity of service, and the necessity of peace. His life was devoted to building people, institutions and unity.”
At this moment of immense sorrow, KRAD extends heartfelt condolences to the Oyeweso family, the university community, his colleagues, students, associates, and all those whose lives he touched directly or indirectly. May Almighty Allah grant his family the strength to endure this irreparable loss, and may his noble legacies continue to inspire generations yet unborn.
All reacting, the APC through its state Chairman, Tajudeen Lawal, said in a statement that the party had been thrown into a deep mourning following the death of one of its chieftains, Prof. Oyeweso.
Lawal extolled Oyeweso’s achievements, eulogising him as a renowned historian, a prolific educator, an outstanding mentor and a committed progressive, whose intellectual contributions greatly enriched scholarship and public service across Nigeria.
