Tinubu Names Ex-UNILAG VC, Toyin Ogundipe NUC Chairman

Deji Elumoye in Abuja

President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe, as chairman of the governing board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).

According to a release issued on Monday by presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, Ogundipe succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned his appointment after less than one year in office having been appointed in July, 2025 by President Tinubu while the board members were inaugurated in November, 2025.

As NUC Chairman, Professor Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system, focusing on funding, global competitiveness and academic stability.

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.

Ogundipe, ex-VC of UNILAG (2017–2022), 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.

Currently, Ogundipe, 66, who serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, 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).