President Bola Ahmed 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).
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 in July 2025, while members of the NUC governing board were inaugurated in November of the same year.
A renowned academic and 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.
The 66-year-old scholar holds a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He currently serves as the Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
Professor Ogundipe is a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology, London. He has also held leadership positions 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, Ogundipe is expected to provide strategic leadership for Nigeria’s university regulatory body, with a focus on funding, academic stability and enhancing the global competitiveness of the nation’s higher education system.
According to the Presidency, President Tinubu expects the new NUC chairman to sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system and advance quality, access and integrity in the education sector in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.