Tinubu appoints Ex-UNILAG VC Ogundipe as NUC board chairman
President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Ogundipe succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned from the position less than a year after his appointment. Aina was appointed by President Tinubu in July 2025, while members of the NUC governing board were inaugurated in November 2025.
A professor of Botany, Ogundipe served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2017 to 2022. His areas of expertise include molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany and ecological conservation. He holds a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos.
Currently, the 66-year-old academic serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University and is a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology.
Announcing the appointment in a statement on Monday, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said Ogundipe would oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system.
“As NUC Chairman, Professor Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system, focusing on funding, global competitiveness and academic stability,” the statement said.
The Presidency expressed confidence in the former UNILAG vice-chancellor’s ability to strengthen the higher education sector and sustain the credibility of Nigeria’s universities.
“President Tinubu expects Ogundipe to provide visionary leadership at the NUC and sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system, in alignment with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, by advancing quality, access and integrity in the education sector,” the statement added.
