On June 22, President Bola Tinubu 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 having spent less than a year in the office.
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 announcement further reads that “The appointment is aimed at advancing quality, access, and integrity in the education sector.”
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.
15 Things You Should Know About Prof. Ogundipe
1.Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe was born 31 May 1960).
2.He attended University of Ife(now Obagemi Awolowo University) where he obtained a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Botany.
3. Prof. Ogundipe is a professor of Botany.
4. He served as the 12th Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos from 2017 to 2022.
5. He holds a master’s degree in botany from the University of Ife and doctorate degree (Ph.D.) from the same university.
6.He then obtained a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos.
7. Ogundipe began his academic career at the University of Lagos as a lecturer where he rose to the rank of professor of botany in 2002.
8. He was Dean, School of Postgraduate Studies from August 2007 to July 2011 and Director, Academic Planning Unit from April 2012 to April 2016.
9. In 2017, he was appointed as the vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos.
10. Before his appointment as UNILAG VC, he was the deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Lagos.
11.He was removed as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos by the university’s governing council following accusations of financial impropriety and gross misconduct.
12. He was reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari based on recommendation of an investigative panel which found that the removal was not done with due process.
13.He has also served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council.
14. The 66-year-old currently serves as Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
15 Ogundipe is married with three children. 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.
