President Bola Tinubu has appointed former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission.
Ogundipe succeeds Emeritus Prof. Olufemi Aina, who was appointed by Tinubu in July 2025 but resigned less than a year into the role.
The appointment was announced in a statement on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the statement, Ogundipe will oversee the country’s university regulatory agency with a focus on funding, global competitiveness and academic stability.
“The appointment is aimed at advancing quality, access, and integrity in the education sector,” the statement read.
It added that President Tinubu expects the former UNILAG Vice-Chancellor to provide “visionary leadership” at the commission and sustain the credibility of Nigeria’s university system in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Ogundipe served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos between 2017 and 2022. A professor of Botany, his areas of specialisation include 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.
The 66-year-old 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 Linnean Society of London and the Royal Society of Biology.
He has also served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council.