Tinubu names Prof Ogundipe as NUC chairman
President Bola Tinubu
Abdullateef Fowewe
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe as chairman of the governing board of the National Universities Commission (NUC), replacing Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned after less than a year in office.
In a statement signed on Monday by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the presidency said Professor Ogundipe, a former Vice‑Chancellor of the University of Lagos (2017–2022) and a professor of Botany — was chosen to steer the regulatory body overseeing the Nigerian university system.
The statement said Tinubu expects Ogundipe to provide “visionary leadership at the NUC and sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system” in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Professor Ogundipe, 66, who holds a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos, formerly served as Pro‑Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
His academic specialities include molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany and ecological conservation.
A fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology, London, Ogundipe has also served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and as Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).
As NUC chairman, Ogundipe will be responsible for policies affecting university funding, global competitiveness and academic stability.
The presidency said his appointment is intended to “advance quality, access, and integrity in the education sector.”
Professor Ogundipe succeeds Prof. Aina, who was appointed by President Tinubu in July 2025 and whose board was inaugurated in November 2025 before his resignation this year.
