A few decades ago, women in Nigeria were granted the opportunity to receive education on the same level as men. However, for the longest time, they had little say in the matter of education in Nigeria. It all changed when the University of Benin appointed its first female vice chancellor in Nigeria. Find out more about the woman who paved the path for other women in Nigerian education.
Who is a vice chancellor?
Before we go into detail about the first female vice chancellor in Nigeria, let’s define the term ‘vice chancellor’. You might know what it means, but others, especially people outside of the Commonwealth areas might not.
In most countries that used to be (or still are) under Great Britain, universities are headed by chancellors. This means that ‘chancellor’ is a name for the head of the university. However, in many cases, including Nigeria, the role of a chancellor is mostly ceremonial.
Here’s the thing:
The chancellor is appointed by a head or a governor of state, but this person carries little to no responsibilities. Vice chancellors, on the other hand, are the ones running the universities. Therefore, vice chancellors are the chief executives of the higher education institutions.
First female vice chancellor in Nigeria
For quite a long time, all of the Nigerian universities were run by men. Even though women had a right to education, apparently, they had no say in the management of said education. Thus, all the way until 1985, no woman was granted the opportunity to run a Nigerian university.
Nevertheless, times have changed, and women became more aware of their own rights. They started to demand what they rightfully deserved, and finally, in 1985, the University of Benin made an important step in women empowerment by appointing the first female vice chancellor in Nigerian history. That person was Grace Alele Williams.
Who was the first female vice chancellor in Nigeria?
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For all those who are wondering, ‘who is the first female vice chancellor in Nigeria’, we want to share with you a short biography of this incredible woman. Let her life story inspire you to achieve so much more.
Grace Awani Alele-Williams was born on December 16, 1932 in Warri, Nigeria. From yearly years, she was interested in learning and education. First, she went to her local government school in her hometown. Then she attended Queens College in Lagos.
Did you know?
In those days, there were only 57 secondary schools in the whole of Nigeria. Out of that number, only 8 were exclusively for girls, one of them being Queens College.
After Grace finished her secondary education, she moved on to the University of Ibadan (back then, it was called University College). When she was 22, she became a mathematics master at Queen’s School in the Ede Osun State. However, Grace quickly grew dissatisfied with this position, and in 1957, she decided to continue her education.
Thanks to her strong will and academic achievements, Alele was able to gain financial support from the Nigerian Head of Service. This money allowed her to become a graduate assistant at the University of Vermont. At that point, her biggest goal was to become a teacher at a secondary school.
But things went in a different direction:
As Vermont’s weather was too cold for her, and she outgrew her position at the university, Grace moved on to the University of Chicago. That step in her life turned out to be crucial. In 1963, Grace Alele became the first Nigerian woman to receive a doctorate degree. Her dissertation was about Nigerian dynamics of education. The same year, she got married and became Grace Alele-Williams.
Soon, Grace decided to return home to Nigeria. For two years, she worked as a research fellow at the University of Ibadan, until she transferred to the University of Lagos in 1965. The next 20 years were very fruitful for Alele.
Between 1963 and 1973, she was a member of the African Mathematics Program, whose goal was to improve the situation with mathematics in Africa. Grace also belonged to several boards and committees, where she made a significant contribution to the development of education in Nigeria. In 1976, she became the first female mathematics professor. This woman sure had a lot of firsts, hadn’t she?
But wait, there is more:
Her most significant ‘first’ title came to her in 1985. That was the year when she was appointed vice-chancellor of the University of Benin. In one of her interviews, she mentioned how important that position was for her.
Grace stated that her appointment was significant not only to her. It was also valuable for all Nigerian women, who wanted to go into the sphere of education. Her example showed them that they too were able to achieve their academic dreams.
She kept her post until August 1992, as she retired to pursue other possibilities. There were too many of them to list, but most of them were centred on the place of women in science and education. She has received numerous awards for her contribution to mathematics, the development of Nigerian education and the improvement of women’s position in education.
Alele has also tried her hand at business ventures. Grace is a board member of Chevron-Texaco Nigeria and HIP Asset Management Company.
At the age of 84, she still remains a strong advocate for women in education. Despite quite an active career, Grace also managed to have a wonderful family. She and her husband, Babatunde Williams (now deceased) have five children and ten grandchildren.
We hope that the life story of this wonderful intelligent woman has inspired you to reach for the stars. We wish her to live long enough to see her great-grandchildren and enough energy to continue inspiring young women across Nigeria.
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