Big shake-up at the top of Nigeria’s university regulator — President Tinubu has just tapped a former UNILAG VC to steer the ship.

So, here’s the latest from Aso Rock, according to cbinews.tv. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has named Professor Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ogundipe as the new Chairman of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Governing Board. The goal? To tighten up leadership and give Nigeria’s university system a stronger regulatory backbone.

The news dropped on Monday, 22 June, in a statement from Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

Prof Ogundipe steps in for Emeritus Professor Olufemi Raphael Aina, who resigned after less than a year in the role. For context, Aina was appointed in July last year, and the board was only inaugurated in November 2025.

Why the change, according to the Presidency?

The appointment is meant to beef up governance in Nigerian universities and push for better performance in funding, global competitiveness, and academic stability. The Presidency says Ogundipe is expected to bring “visionary leadership” to the NUC, tying it all into the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda — with a big focus on quality, access, and integrity in tertiary education.

In plain terms: “As NUC Chairman, Professor Ogundipe will oversee the regulatory body of the Nigerian university system, focusing on funding, global competitiveness and academic stability,” the statement noted.

They’re banking on his deep academic and admin experience to get the job done.

Who exactly is Professor Ogundipe?

He’s no stranger to Nigeria’s higher education space. Ogundipe bagged a PhD in Botany from Obafemi Awolowo University and an MBA from the University of Lagos.

You might remember him as the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG from 2017 to 2022, where he drove major reforms and academic development. Now 66, he’s currently the Pro-Chancellor of Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State, and still very active in education policy.

His CV is stacked: Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Science, the Linnaean Society of London, and the Royal Society of Biology, London. He’s also served as President of the Botanical Society of Nigeria and Chairman of the Lagos State Science, Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).

Academically, he’s a big name in plant taxonomy, ecological conservation, ethnobotany, and even forensic botany — easily one of Nigeria’s top voices in botanical sciences.

Why this matters:

The NUC is the main body regulating university education in Nigeria. It handles accreditation, quality assurance, funding coordination, and policy across federal, state, and private universities.

Lately, it’s been at the centre of tackling issues like funding shortfalls, strikes, poor infrastructure, and worries about how our universities stack up globally.

This appointment comes as the Federal Government is trying to reposition the university system to meet global standards, boost research, and improve stability.

Back in February, the NUC also rolled out 16 new guidelines to clamp down on honorary doctorate awards. The rules say only universities with PhD-awarding capacity can give them, no more than three per convocation, and serving public officials are out. No self-nominations, no payments, and every award must be vetted and published.

So yeah, Ogundipe is walking into a hot seat — but one with a clear mandate.

Source: cbinews.tv

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