Tinubu Appoints Former UNILAG Vice‑Chancellor and Toyin Ogundipe as NUC Chairman

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has named former University of Lagos Vice‑Chancellor, Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, as chairman of the National Universities Commission governing board.

A release from presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on Monday stated that Ogundipe replaces Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned after serving less than a year. Aina had been appointed by President Tinubu in July 2025, with the board members inaugurated in November 2025.

In his role as NUC chairman, Professor Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body governing Nigeria’s university system, with an emphasis on funding, global competitiveness, and academic stability.

Tinubu anticipates that Ogundipe will deliver visionary leadership at the NUC and uphold the credibility of the Nigerian university system, aligning with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to promote quality, access, and integrity in education.

Ogundipe, who served as UNILAG Vice‑Chancellor from 2017 to 2022, is a professor of Botany whose expertise spans molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany, and ecological conservation.

He earned a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos.

Now 66, Ogundipe serves as Pro‑Chancellor of Redeemer’s University in Ede, Osun State, and is a fellow of multiple professional societies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology in London.

He has previously held positions as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).