President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has named Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe as chairman of the National Universities Commission, NUC, governing board.
Ogundipe replaces Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who stepped down after less than a year. Tinubu appointed Aina in July 2025, and the board was inaugurated in November 2025.
The new chairman is former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, serving from 2017 to 2022. He is a professor of Botany with specializations in molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany, and ecological conservation.
Ogundipe, 66, holds a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos. He currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
He is a fellow of 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 chaired the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council, LASRIC.
As NUC chairman, Ogundipe will regulate Nigeria’s university system with focus on funding, global competitiveness, and academic stability.
President Tinubu said he expects Ogundipe to provide visionary leadership and uphold the credibility of Nigerian universities. The appointment aligns with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to improve quality, access, and integrity in education.
