Tinubu appoints Ex-UNILAG VC Ogundipe as NUC chairman

President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, as the 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 board were inaugurated in November of the same year.

A professor of Botany, Ogundipe served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos between 2017 and 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.

The 66-year-old academic currently serves as the Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State. He is also a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology, London.

Ogundipe has previously served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).

According to a statement issued on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the new NUC chairman is expected to provide visionary leadership for the regulatory body overseeing Nigeria’s university system.

The statement said Ogundipe would focus on improving funding, enhancing global competitiveness and promoting academic stability in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda by advancing quality, access and integrity in the education sector.