First Nigerian Female VC, Prof Grace Alele-Williams, Dies at 89
A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Professor Grace Alele-Williams, has died at the age of 89.
Alele-Williams, who was the first female vice-chancellor of a university in Nigeria, reportedly died on Friday, according to online reports.
Ms Alele-Williams, a professor of mathematics gained prominence after she was appointed the vice-chancellor of the prestigious University of Benin in 1985.
Before her appointment as vice-chancellor, she made history as the first Nigerian woman to obtain a doctorate degree in Mathematics education in 1963, a rare feat in the sixties.
President Muhammadu Buhari had facilitated with the former VC on her 89th birthday in December 2021, applauding her role in sanitising UNIBEN of cultism.
Vondigest recalls that her tenure witnessed a drastic reduction in cultism, a menace in UNIBEN at the time.
A report quoted several sources as confirming that the former female administrator ‘has gone to be with the Lord.’
“The Education icon and great mathematician, Prof. Grace Alele Williams, has gone to be with the Lord. May her soul rest in peace”, a post by one Femi Uwawah on a prominent Itsekhiri online forum (where the deceased was a member), claimed.
Born on December 16, 1932, Prof. Alele-Williams was a professor of mathematics education, who made history as the first Nigerian female vice-chancellor at UNIBEN and first Nigerian woman to receive a doctorate degree.
The circumstances surrounding her death are unclear as at the time of filing this report.
