President Bola Tinubu has appointed Oluwatoyin Ogundipe as Chairman of the governing board of the National Universities Commission (NUC), replacing Olufemi Aina, who resigned less than a year after taking office.
According to a statement issued on Monday by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga and reported by Channels Television, Ogundipe will lead the governing board of the agency responsible for regulating Nigeria’s university system.
Ogundipe, a professor of Botany, served as Vice-Chancellor of University of Lagos from 2017 to 2022. His academic specialisations include molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany and ecological conservation.
The 66-year-old scholar 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.
Ogundipe is also a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology. He previously served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council.
As NUC chairman, Ogundipe is expected to oversee policies affecting university funding, academic standards and global competitiveness across Nigeria’s higher education sector.
President Tinubu said he expects the former UNILAG vice-chancellor to provide visionary leadership and strengthen the credibility of the Nigerian university system in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with a focus on quality, access and integrity in education.