President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe as chairman of the governing board of the National Universities Commission (NUC), the presidency announced on Monday.
Ogundipe, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (2017–2022), succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned after less than one year in office.
Aina was appointed in July last year, and board members were inaugurated in November 2025.
The new NUC chairman 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.
Ogundipe, 66, currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

He 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 served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).
As NUC Chairman, Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system, focusing on funding, global competitiveness and academic stability.
President Tinubu expects Ogundipe to “provide visionary leadership at the NUC and sustain the credibility of the Nigerian university system, in alignment with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, by advancing quality, access, and integrity in the education sector,” according to a statement by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga.
PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS EX-UNILAG VC OGUNDIPE, CHAIRMAN OF NUC
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe as chairman of the governing board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
He succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael…
— Daddy D.O🇳🇬 (@DOlusegun) June 22, 2026
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