Tinubu Appoints Ex-UNILAG VC Ogundipe as NUC Chairman

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, as the new Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

He succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned from the position after less than one year in office. Professor Aina was appointed in July last year, while members of the governing board were inaugurated in November 2025.

Professor Ogundipe, 66, is a distinguished academic and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, where he served between 2017 and 2022. He is a professor of Botany with specialisation in molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany, and ecological conservation.

He obtained his PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and also holds an MBA from the University of Lagos.

Currently, he serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

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

As NUC Chairman, he is expected to oversee the regulatory body of Nigeria’s university system, with a focus on funding, global competitiveness, and academic stability.

President Tinubu said the appointment aligns with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda and expects Ogundipe to provide visionary leadership that will strengthen quality, access, and integrity in the country’s higher education sector.