Grace Alele-Williams is dead

Professor Grace Alele-Williams is dead.

Alele-Williams was. the first female Vice Chancellor of a Nigerian University, .

The former Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin died on Friday in Lagos, aged 89.

The University of Benin Public Relations Officer, Dr (Mrs) Benedicta Ehanire who confirmed her death said, “It is true, the Vice Chancellor confirmed from her daughter who confirmed that she died in Lagos this morning”(yesterday)

Reacting to her death, the apex Itsekiri body, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, IloT has described her death as a big loss to the nation. Chairman of the body, Chief Edward Ekpoko, said the late Alele Williams was also a member of the body, recalling that she was the first female Vice Chancellor of a university in Africa.
He said she was also a Chief in Warri kingdom, adding that she was the first lady to hold a PhD in mathematics in the country. “It’s a devastating news. She served Nigeria meritoriously. She was First woman to hold a PhD in Mathematics, first female Vice Chancellor in Africa”.

“She came from a very fine background. Her mother was among the first teachers in Nigeria . “
Chief Professor Alele Williams has left her footprint in the sands of time. “

“We will miss her. Her contribution to development of Nigeria shows that our role in nation building as Itsekiri is not only in the oil and gas sector. We are doing in other areas too.”

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). She 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 (U.S.) in 1963,[8] thereby making 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.