The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has appointed the founder and group managing director of BOVAS Group, Victoria Adunola Samson, as the new chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo.

A statement by the state government spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, on Sunday, said the appointment followed the expiration of the tenure of the former chancellor, Apostle Folorunso Alakija. 

Mrs Alakija served as the second chancellor of the university for 10 years, formally ending her tenure on March 18, 2026.

The spokesman disclosed that the state governor visited Mrs Alakija on Friday, May 8, to express appreciation, particularly for donating the multi-billion-naira Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital to the Osun State University.

“The government of Osun State paid a celebratory visit to Apostle Folorunso Alakija on Friday, 8th May, 2026, to express the gratitude of the University to the Alakija family for the excellent support that the Alakija family gave the University and Osun State,” the statement said.

Mr Adeleke described the newly appointed chancellor, Mrs Samson, as a worthy personality, extolling her integrity, accountability and patriotism to the people.

He stated that the state government recognised Mrs Samson for exhibiting decency and integrity in her business despite the social tendency to do otherwise.

“We recognise with appreciation your distinct effort to make life easy for the consumers of petroleum products. We celebrate you and use you to represent a symbol of decency, honesty, integrity and humanity in our society,” Mr Adeleke said.

Mrs Samson, who will serve as the third chancellor of the institution, was born on December 5, 1949.

She is an indigene of Iree, Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State.

She holds the Texaco Petroleum Franchise and emerged as the first Nigerian to win the highly competitive Texaco Latin America and West Africa (LAWA) award for best overall dealer in 1990.

Mrs Samson previously served as the matron of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) across several depots.

She holds a professional diploma in marketing and a certificate from Harvard University Business School’s Leadership for Family in Business program (2013).