Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has approved the appointment of Victoria Adunola Samson as the new Chancellor of Osun State University.
Mrs Samson, popularly known as BOVAS, succeeds Folorunso Alakija, whose tenure ended on March 18, 2026, after serving the institution for 10 years.
The Osun State Government on Friday paid a courtesy and appreciation visit to Apostle Alakija in recognition of her contributions to the university and the state. Governor Adeleke described her impact as a lasting legacy, particularly the donation of the multi-billion naira Modupe and Folorunso Alakija Medical Research and Training Hospital to the university.
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, she has built the company from a single filling station into a nationwide business with more than 200 stations and over 2,000 employees as of December 31, 2025.
She also 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 after recording the highest sales across both regions.
She has held several leadership positions in 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 is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketing Association.
She holds a Professional Diploma in Marketing and attended the Leadership for Family Business programme at Harvard Business School in 2013, alongside the Chief Executive Programme at IESE Business School in Barcelona, Spain.
Governor Adeleke commended Mrs Samson’s integrity, accountability and patriotism in business, describing her as a symbol of honesty, decency and humanity.
The governor congratulated her on behalf of the government and people of Osun State on her appointment as the third Chancellor of Osun State University, Osogbo.