Unfondly called Iron Lady by her students, Nigeria’s first female Vice Chancellor, Professor Grace Alele-Williams is dead. The professor of Mathematics was head of the University of Benin (UniBen) in 1985, and was dreaded by her students because she did not brook indiscipline and fought the menace of cultism in the school.
The cause of her death was still not known at press time.
Late Alele-Williams was the first Nigerian woman to receive a Doctorate degree in 1963 at the age of 31.
She was born born December 16, 1932 in Warri, Delta state, and 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.).
