President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has appointed Emeritus Professor of Business and Technical Education, Oluremi Raphael Aina, as Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission (NUC).
Professor Aina, a distinguished educationist, becomes the 13th Chairman of the NUC Board. His illustrious career includes teaching at various institutions both in Nigeria and abroad.
He previously served as Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of the National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB) from 1992 to 2002, and as a member of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) from 2011 to 2015.
At the inauguration ceremony, in Abuja, the Minister of Education, Dr. Olatunji Alausa, presented letters of appointment to Professor Aina and other appointees to boards and governing councils of various education agencies and institutions.
Notable among them is former Governor of Nasarawa State, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, who now chairs the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) Board.
Dr. Alausa charged the appointees to provide visionary and accountable leadership to reposition Nigeria’s universities and colleges for global competitiveness.
He noted that governing councils are the highest policy-making bodies in tertiary institutions, responsible for institutional governance, policy direction, financial oversight, and academic excellence.
“Your appointments are both a recognition of your individual contributions to national development and a call to serve with integrity, vision, and accountability,” he stated.
The Minister acknowledged the numerous challenges facing the tertiary education sector, including funding gaps, infrastructural deficits, labour unrest, and declining global rankings.
He urged the appointees to offer strategic oversight while respecting university autonomy, adding, “Your role is not to run the institutions daily, but to provide direction in accordance with relevant laws and policies.”
Dr. Alausa emphasised that autonomy must be matched with transparency in procurement, budgeting, appointments, and contract management. He reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to revitalising the education sector under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
Executive Secretary of the NUC, Professor Abdullahi Yusufu Ribadu, in his goodwill message, congratulated the new appointees, describing their appointments as merit-based. He advised them to work as a team to overcome challenges facing their institutions.
Responding on behalf of the appointees, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-Makura thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve and pledged collective commitment to transforming the education sector.
