President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed former University of Lagos (UNILAG) Vice Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Monday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to Onanuga, Ogundipe succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned less than one year after his appointment.
Recall that Tinubu had appointed Aina in July 2025, with board members inaugurated in November of the same year.
Ogundipe, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (2017–2022), is a professor of Botany with expertise in 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.
Currently, the 66-year-old scholar serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University.
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.
Ogundipe has previously served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council.
As NUC Chairman, Professor Ogundipe is expected to oversee Nigeria’s university regulatory body, with a focus on funding, global competitiveness, and academic stability.
Tinubu charged him to provide visionary leadership and sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda by advancing quality, access, and integrity in the education sector.