PROF. GRACE ALELE-WILLIAMS IS DEAD. SHE DIED AT THE AGE OF 89.
Alele-Williams was Nigeria’s first female Vice-Chancellor.
She made history as the first Nigerian woman to obtain a doctorate degree in Mathematics education in 1963.
Ms Alele-Williams, a professor of mathematics gained prominence after she was appointed the vice-chancellor of the prestigious University of Benin in 1985.
Her tenure witnessed a drastic reduction in cultism, a menace in UNIBEN at the time.
Three months before her demise, President Muhammadu Buhari had facilitated with the former VC on her 89th birthday in December 2021, applauding 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.