Tinubu Appoints Former UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, as New NUC Chairman

• President Bola Tinubu has appointed former UNILAG Vice-Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, as Chairman of the National Universities Commission.

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

The appointment was announced on Monday in a statement issued 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 had been appointed by President Tinubu in July 2025, while the NUC governing board was inaugurated in November of the same year.

A renowned academic and professor of Botany, Ogundipe served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) between 2017 and 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.

Over the years, Ogundipe has earned recognition both locally and internationally, becoming a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology, London.

As the new NUC Chairman, he is expected to provide leadership in strengthening Nigeria’s university system, with a focus on academic quality, funding, global competitiveness and institutional stability.

The Presidency said President Tinubu expects Professor Ogundipe to advance the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda by promoting quality education, expanding access to higher learning and preserving the integrity of Nigeria’s university system.