The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has mourned the passing of renowned mathematician and former Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Prof. Grace Alele-Williams.
The governor, in a statement, described Prof. Alele-Williams as an Amazon, who tread where others dreaded, hailing her unmatched devotion to national development.
According to him, “It is with a heavy heart that I received the sad news of the passing of renowned academic and administrator, Prof. Grace Alele-Williams.
The governor said Prof. Alele-Williams was a thoroughbred academician who throughout her life left an indelible mark of dutiful service, hard work, diligence and determination.
He said, “As the first female Nigerian to earn a doctorate degree in mathematics, Prof. Alele-Williams was a woman of many firsts. She shattered the glass ceiling and didn’t look back thereafter.
“When she became the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) – at the time the first ever female Vice Chancellor of a Nigerian university – she shone brightly as a fearless administrator and restored sanity to the higher institution during a period of social upheaval.
“Prof. Alele-Williams will be remembered for her insight, dedication to duty and courage as well as her commitment to breaking barriers limiting advancement of women in uncharted territories.”
