Nigeria’s first female Vice Chancellor, VC, Prof. Grace Alele-Williams has died. She died today at the age of 89.
Born on December 16, 1932, Alele-Williama made history as the first Nigerian female VC, at the University of Benin and first Nigerian woman to receive a doctorate.
Alele-Williams was born in Warri, Delta state.
She attended Government School, Warri, Queen’s College, Lagos and the University College of Ibadan , now University of Ibadan.
Prof. Alele-Williams obtained a master’s degree in mathematics while teaching at Queen’s School, Ede in Osun State in 1957 and her PhD degree in mathematics education at the University of Chicago, US in 1963, which make her the first Nigerian woman to be awarded a doctorate.
She returned to Nigeria for a couple of years’ postdoctoral work at the University of Ibadan before joining the University of Lagos in 1965.
President Muhammadu Buhari had facilitated with her on her 89th birthday in December 2021, commending her role in sanitising UNIBEN of cultism.
“President Buhari congratulates the educationist on her achievements over many years, inspired by vision and hard work, becoming the first woman to earn a Ph.D in Nigeria (1963), and using her resources to create opportunities for other women, particularly in getting education,” partly read the statement issued by Mr Buhari’s spokesperson, Femi Adesina.
