By President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
According to a statement dated June 22, 2026 and signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Ogundipe will takes over from Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who stepped down from the position after serving for less than a year. Aina was appointed by the President in July 2025, while members of the governing board were inaugurated in November of the same year.
The new NUC chairman is a Professor of Botany with academic expertise spanning molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany and ecological conservation.
He earned a doctorate in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and later obtained a Master of Business Administration from the University of Lagos.
Professor Ogundipe served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2017 to 2022 and currently holds the position of Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
The 66-year-old academic 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 led the Botanical Society of Nigeria as President and previously chaired the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council.
As chairman of the NUC governing board, Ogundipe will provide oversight for Nigeria’s university regulatory agency, with responsibilities covering university funding, academic standards, institutional stability and efforts to improve the global competitiveness of the country’s higher education system.
The Presidency said the appointment reflects the administration’s commitment to strengthening tertiary education, expressing confidence that Ogundipe’s experience will help sustain the credibility of the university system while advancing quality, access and integrity in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
