| Onaolapo Soleye | |
| Office: | Minister of Finance |
| Term Start: | 1984 |
| Term End: | 1985 |
| Predecessor: | Sunday Essang |
| Successor: | Kalu Idika Kalu |
| Birth Date: | 11 November 1933 |
| Birth Place: | Abeokuta, Colony and Protectorate of Nigeria |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Alma Mater: | Baptist Boys' High School, NigeriaLondon School of Economics and Political Science, UK University of Manchester, US |
| Profession: | PoliticianPublic Servant |
| Blank1: | Awards |
Onaolapo Soleye (11 November 1933 – 15 November 2023) was a Nigerian scholar and politician who served as Minister of Finance during the military regime of General Muhammadu Buhari. He served for twenty months as the minister of finance. He was also a commissioner for Finance and Industry in Ogun State,[1] and sat on the board of the Obasanjo Presidential Library.
Soleye attended Baptist Boys' High School, Abeokuta, one of the earliest secondary schools established in Nigeria. He trained as a sociologist and studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science and University of Manchester.[2]
Soleye's major policy actions during his tenure as Minister of Finance include:[3]
Soleye was a lecturer at the university of Ibadan. He was also the commissioner of industry in the western region before he was appointed the minister of finance.
Soleye preferred administrative controls on foreign exchange; he rejected proposals to drastically devalue the naira. He also decided to print new notes in April 1984, to prevent the repatriation of naira through smuggling.[4]
Onaolapo Soleye died on 15 November 2023, four days after his 90th birthday.[5] [6]