Nigeria’s first female Vice Chancellor, Professor Grace Alele-Williams, ha died at the age of 89-years-old.
Naija News gathered that Alele-Williams died on Friday at an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.
Alele-Williams, who was appointed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin in 1985, was the first woman to receive a doctorate in Nigeria.
This online newspaper reports that she was a Professor of Mathematics.
Confirming the death of the respected university administrator and mathematician to The PUNCH, a former Commissioner for Higher Education, Delta State, and ex-Head of Department of English, the University of Lagos, Prof. Hope Eghagha, said Alele-Williams died on Friday.
Asked about the circumstances surrounding her death, Eghagha said, “Anything can happen at 89.”
A source told Naija News that the management of the University of Benin has ordered that all flags should be flown at half-mast and a condolence register would be opened at the Office of the Vice-chancellor in her honour.
Biography
Grace Alele-Williams (December 16, 1932 – March 25, 2022) was a professor of mathematics education, who made history as the first Nigerian female vice-chancellor 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).
Alele-Williams was appointed the first female vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university in 1985-1992.
She was a member of governing council, UNESCO Institute of Education. She was also a consultant to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Institute of International Education Planning.
Alele-Williams was the first president of the African Mathematical Union Commission on Women in Mathematics.
Alele-Williams married Babatunde Abraham Williams in December 1963.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News
