Alele-Williams, born on December 16, 1932, attended the Government School in Warri, Delta State, and then Queens College in Lagos. She earned her first degree at University College (now the University of Ibadan). She taught mathematics at Queen’s School in Ede, Osun State, from 1954 to 1957 after receiving her first degree in 1954.
Dissatisfied with her situation at Queen’s School, Alele obtained financial assistance from the Nigerian Head of Service to attend the University of Vermont as a graduate assistant to become a secondary school teacher. However, she found the weather in Vermont to be cold and also experienced forms of segregation in the rural setting.
Soon, however, Sputnik shifted America’s attention to the importance of mathematics and education, and Alele had the opportunity to go to the University of Chicago, Columbia, or Harvard. She chose the University of Chicago, and in 1963 she obtained her PhD.
In 1963, she obtained her PhD in Mathematics Education with a dissertation on “Dynamics of Education in the Birth of a New Nation: A Case Study of Nigeria.” Her dissertation topic proves her patriotism to her fatherland, even in a faraway country. She was the first woman in Nigeria to obtain a doctorate in any field of academics.
Her interest in mathematics education was initially 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.
When she returned to Nigeria, she joined her alma mater, the University of Ibadan, as a post-doctoral research fellow (1963–65); lecturer one at the University of Lagos (1965–68); and senior lecturer at the University of Lagos (1968–74).
From 1974 to 1975, she was an Associate Professor of Mathematics at the University of Lagos, and from 1976 to 1985, she was a Professor of Mathematics. Her appointment as Nigeria’s first full-time female mathematics professor made academic history as the first Nigerian female mathematics professor. But, yet again, another record was made!
Professor Grace Alele-Williams served on a global level in various capacities to develop and improve African educational standards. She was a consultant to UNESCO and the Institute of International Education Planning for a decade (1963–1973). In addition, she chaired the curriculum review committee and attended Bendel State University from 1973 to 1979.
From 1979 to 1985, she was chairman of the Lagos State Curriculum Review Committee and the Lagos State Examination Boards. After serving as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, she joined the board of directors at Chevron-Texaco Nigeria.
She was a member of the African Mathematics Program based in Newton, Massachusetts. She was vice president of the World Organization for Early Childhood Education and later President of the Nigerian chapter. A consummate author, she published a book titled Modern Mathematics Handbook for Teachers and numerous articles in national and international academic journals.
Alele-Williams was a member of the African Mathematical Union Commission on Women in Mathematics in Africa and Vice-President of the Third World Organization for Women in Science.
In 1985, she became the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin and remained vice-chancellor until 1991. 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, an asset management company in Lagos, Nigeria.
In 1987, she was conferred with the Order of the Niger (OON), the then-coveted award given to industrious and worthy Nigerians. In 1994, she gave the Distinguished Annual Lecture at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru. In addition, she had been elected a fellow of the Mathematical Association of Nigeria and the Nigerian Academy of Education.
Alele-Williams occupies a unique position not only as an academic, intellectual, and leader of thought but also as an activist in all spheres, not limited to gender.
Upon the conclusion of her assignment as vice chancellor, Professor Alele-Williams told reporters:
“The excitement I felt on receiving the news from Professor Jubril Aminu (Minister of Education) had more to do with seeing it opening up the field for women than anything else. I saw it as an opportunity to show that women could rise to the occasion.
Also, I knew what the weight of women’s expectations was. They were eager to see how things would go, and I would not let them down. Mind you, those who appointed me felt I was qualified for it, so it was not just a case of wanting to satisfy the yearnings of the womenfolk. It wasn’t that simple.
Nevertheless, Professor Grace never hid the fact that she had a particular interest in women’s education. While directing the Institute of Education for a decade, she introduced innovative non-degree programs, allowing older women working as elementary school teachers to receive certificates.
The academician has consistently demonstrated concern for the access of female African students to scientific and technological subjects.
Yet, in a 2004 talk on gender dignity at Lagos State University, she was quoted as saying: “As long as we are celebrating a woman vice chancellor because she is the first or a woman chief judge because she is the first, then we have not arrived.” “We look forward to when we will have many women in such positions, and we will celebrate so many of them.”
Speaking about Alele-Williams, foremost broadcaster Soni Irabor recalls that she was a woman who gave Soni Irabor Live (a program on Africa Independent Television, Nigeria) one of the most significant boosts in public acceptance and credibility.
On Nov. 25, 2017, Alele Williams was conferred with an honorary doctorate at the University of Benin, an honour for the service she rendered about 25 years ago when she put the University of Benin on the map as the first university in Nigeria to have a female vice chancellor at a time when female professors were few and far between.
Professor Grace Alele-Williams is a trailblazer and a woman of substance who has had unforgettable impacts on her nation. She broke many jinxes and helped countless women find their values again. The bizarre stigmatisation attached to certain pedestals women can reach in most African countries was broken by her.
Apart from being an astute academician, As can also be described as an administrator par excellence, her contribution to educational development in Nigeria is unquantifiable. She is worthy of mention as an achiever and meets our yardstick of excellence, hard work, perseverance, and dedication.
Professor Grace Alele Williams was married to the late Professor Babatunde Williams, and they are blessed with five children and ten grandchildren.
