Unarguably, she was a jinx breaker, pathfinder and progressively minded. Intellectually savvy and administratively proficient. Professor Grace Alele-Williams, was the first female Professor of Mathematics and first female Vice Chancellor of a Nigerian university. She left indelible footprints in the sand of time as vice chancellor of the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
Professor Alele-Williams arrived at UNIBEN from the university of Lagos to assume duty in 1985. On assumption, she met a hostile environment especially from the UNIBEN chapter of Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Professors, who perhaps had eyes on the seat of the Chief Executive Officer of the institution. They were vehemently opposed to her appointment and would not want to cooperate with her administration. All her peaceful entreaties merely aggravated the situation.
Undeterred, she returned to Lagos to brief the then Military President Ibrahim Babangida who appointed her. The strong-willed Professor Alele-Williams got the nod from Babangida on the authority to “hire and fire”. She returned to UNIBEN, set standards and boundaries and told staff and students to comply or be shown the way out. Scores of lecturers and recalcitrant students fell victim of her big stick.
On one particular occasion, Prof Alele-Williams demonstrated the lioness in her when she got wind that students were mobilising for riot against her administration and a particular government policy they considered unfriendly.
To nip the riot in bud, she convened a meeting of the executives of the Students Union Government and Course Representatives at the Akin Adeko auditorium to address them in order to rescind their decision to carry out the riot.
Prof Alele-Williams arrived with her principal officers to the capacity-filled auditorium. She greeted the students of UNIBEST saying, “my good students of UNIBEN, my good students of UNIBEST”. The students responded in unism, “No, we no go gree”. They almost became rancorous. Prof Alele-Williams stood up from her seat, grabbed the microphone and announced, “If you are not my good student, leave the hall.” Twice she announced this and the hall was a pin drop silence. None of the students had the boldness to vacate the auditorium. The consequences would have been obvious. Alele-Williams like a good teacher had delivered her message and the result was that the students shelved the idea of the riot. It was her distinctive power of communication.
She may be accused of being high-handed which earned her the nickname, “Iron Lady of Benin.”
To her credit, she improved greatly the infrastructure of the Ugbowo and Ekenwan Campuses of the institution with proper landscaping. She christened UNIBEN as UNIBEST and the institution became the most sort after university in Nigeria during her tenure.
Great tributes to our icon of yester years: Professor Grace Alele-Williams @ a glance.
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, 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.
Her teaching career started at Queen’s School, Ede, Osun State, where she taught mathematics from 1954 to 1957. She left for the University of Vermont to become a graduate assistant and later assistant professor. From 1963 to 1965, Alele-Williams was a postdoctoral research fellow, department (and institute) of education, University of Ibadan from where she was appointed a professor of mathematics.
Her interest in mathematics education was originally sparked by her stay in the US, which coincided with the Sputnik phenomenon. Working with the African Mathematics Program in Newton, Massachusetts, under the leadership of MIT professor Ted Martins, she participated in mathematics workshops held in various African cities from 1963 to 1975. Highlights included writing texts and correspondence courses covering basic concepts in mathematics, working in concert with leading mathematicians and educators. She taught at the University of Lagos from 1965 to 1985, and spent a decade directing the institute of education, which introduced innovative non-degree programmes, with many of the certificate recipients, older women working as elementary school teachers.
Alele-Williams was appointed the first female vice-chancellor of a Nigerian university in 1985, and she believes her appointment at the University of Benin, which ended in 1992, was a test case to demonstrate a woman’s executive capability. Among her honours are Fellow of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria, Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Education, merit award winner of Bendel State in Nigeria, and regional vice-president for Africa of the Third World Organization for Women in Science” (Science in Africa: Women Leading from Strength AAAS, Washington, 1993). It may be added that professor Alele-Williams was chairman of the African Mathematical Union Commission for Women in Mathematics.
She has held and served in various capacities. By serving in various committees and boards, Alele-Williams had made useful contributions in the development of education in Nigeria. She was chairman of the curriculum review committee, former Bendel State 1973–1979. From 1979 to 1985, she served as chairman of the Lagos State curriculum review committee and Lagos State examinations boards.
Alele-Williams 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. For a decade (1963–73), she was a member of the African Mathematics Programme, located in Newton, Massachusetts, United States. She was also vice-president of the World Organisation for Early Childhood Education and later president of the Nigeria chapter. In 1974, Alele-Williams published a book titled Modern Mathematics Handbook for Teachers. After serving as the vice-chancellor of the University of Benin, she joined the board of directors of Chevron-Texaco Nigeria. She was also on the board of HIP asset management company limited, an asset management company in Lagos, Nigeria. Alele-Williams was a force to reckon with in the dark period for Nigeria’s higher education. Then, the activities of secret cults, confraternities and societies had spread within the Nigerian universities especially in University of Benin. She made valuable impacts, with combination of courage, ingenuity and strategy that the growing tide of cultism was stemmed in the university. A task which many men had failed, she was able to make notable contributions.
She has a special interest in women education. While spending a decade directing the institute of education, she introduced innovative non-degree programmes, allowing older women working as elementary school teachers to receive certificates. Alele-Williams demonstrated concern for the access of female African students to scientific and technological subjects.
Alele-Williams was the first president of the African Mathematical Union Commission on Women in Mathematics.
Alele-Williams married Babatunde Abraham Williams, December 1963, not long after returning to Nigeria from the United States. Williams was a political scientist who, at the time of their marriage, was a senior lecturer at the University of Ife, Osun State. As of 2017, Alele-Williams has five children and ten grandchildren.
Alele-Williams received many awards and honours. She received the Order of the Niger in 1987, and was elected a Fellow of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria and a Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Education. She won a merit award of Bendel State in Nigeria, and served as regional vice-president for Africa of the Third World Organization for Women in Science and was chairman of the African Mathematical Union Commission for Women in Mathematics.
On February 28, 2014, she received the centenary award. She was an Itsekiri traditional chief. She died at age 89.
Culled in part from Wikipedia…
