President Bola Tinubu has appointed Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Ogundipe succeeds Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned from the position less than a year after his appointment.
The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Monday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the Presidency, Ogundipe’s appointment is intended to strengthen quality, access and integrity within Nigeria’s higher education sector.
“Professor Ogundipe succeeds Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned his appointment after less than one year in office,” the statement said.
The Presidency noted that the former university administrator would oversee the regulatory body responsible for Nigeria’s university system, with a focus on funding, academic stability and improving the global competitiveness of Nigerian institutions.
It added that President Tinubu expects Ogundipe to provide visionary leadership at the commission and help sustain the credibility of the nation’s university system in line with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
A professor of Botany, Ogundipe served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2017 to 2022. He is widely recognised for his work in molecular plant taxonomy, biosystematics, ethnobotany, cytogenetics, forensic botany and ecological conservation.
He earned a doctorate degree in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Lagos.
The 66-year-old academic currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University.
Ogundipe is a fellow of several professional bodies, including the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean 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.
The appointment places Ogundipe at the helm of the NUC Governing Board at a time when Nigeria’s higher education sector faces growing demands for improved funding, enhanced academic standards and greater international competitiveness.
