NUC Chairman Ogundipe Advocates for Harmonized Oversight

Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC) and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos, called for a sustainable and harmonized relationship between the NUC and Nigeria’s professional regulatory bodies. He made this statement during the 2026 convocation lecture at Osun State University, titled ‘Coping with Double Oversight: Harmonizing the NUC and Professional Bodies for a Sustainable University System’.

Ogundipe emphasized the need to transition from an accreditation-centered culture to a quality assurance culture in Nigerian universities. He noted that the NUC and professional regulatory bodies have historically coexisted with structural tensions that have become more pronounced as the university system expanded since the 1990s.

He argued for better regulation rather than less, stating that overlapping mandates and inconsistent requirements from multiple regulators hinder the efficient production of well-trained professionals essential for Nigeria's development.