Tinubu Appoints Former UNILAG VC Ogundipe As NUC Chairman

Juliet Oladele, Reporting 

PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed 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).

The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Professor Ogundipe succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned from the position less than a year after his appointment.

Professor Aina was appointed by President Tinubu in July 2025, while members of the board were inaugurated in November of the same year.

A distinguished academic and renowned botanist, Professor 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 doctorate degree in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Lagos.

The 66-year-old scholar currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

Professor Ogundipe is a fellow of several professional organisations, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology, London.

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

As Chairman of the NUC Governing Board, Professor Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body responsible for Nigeria’s university system, with a focus on funding, academic stability and enhancing the global competitiveness of tertiary institutions.

According to the Presidency, President Tinubu expects the former UNILAG Vice-Chancellor to provide visionary leadership and strengthen the credibility of the Nigerian university system in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The President also expressed confidence that Ogundipe would advance quality, access and integrity within the nation’s higher education sector.