Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, has approved the appointment of Victoria Adunola Samson, popularly known as Mama BOVAS, as the new Chancellor of Osun State University.
In a statement issued by the spokesperson to the Osun State Governor, Olawale Rasheed, the appointment followed the expiration of the tenure of the immediate past Chancellor, Folorunso Alakija, whose tenure ended on March 18, 2026.
The state government also paid a courtesy and appreciation visit to Apostle Alakija on Friday, May 8, 2026, to acknowledge the support she and her family rendered to the university and Osun State during her 10-year tenure as Chancellor between 2016 and 2026.
Governor Adeleke commended the contributions of the former Chancellor, particularly the donation of the multi-billion naira Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital to the university.
The newly appointed Chancellor, Mrs Samson, is the founder of BOVAS Oil and Gas and an indigene of Iree in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State.
Born on December 5, 1949, Mrs Samson, alongside her husband, reportedly expanded the retail operations of the company from a single petroleum station to more than 200 stations across Nigeria, employing over 2,000 Nigerians as of December 31, 2025.
The statement further noted that Mrs Samson owns the Texaco Petroleum franchise and became the first Nigerian to win the Texaco Latin America and West Africa Award for Best Overall Dealer in 1990.
She was also said to have recorded the highest petroleum sales across both West Africa and Latin America during the period.
According to the statement, the new Chancellor has held several leadership positions within the oil and gas sector, including serving as Matron of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria at the NNPC/PPMC Satellite Depot in Ejigbo, Lagos State, and Apata Depot in Ibadan, Oyo State.
She also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association.
Mrs Samson holds a Professional Diploma in Marketing and also attended the Leadership for Family in Business programme at Harvard University Business School in 2013.
She is equally a beneficiary of the Chief Executive Programme at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Governor Adeleke described the new Chancellor as a businesswoman known for integrity, accountability and patriotism.
The governor also commended her role in making petroleum products more accessible to consumers, describing her as a symbol of honesty, decency and humanity in society.
He congratulated Mrs Samson on behalf of the government and people of Osun State on her appointment as the third Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo.
