 The pioneer chairman was the Emir of Yauri, Alhaji Tukur who was succeeded by Rotimi Williams.During the early period of operation, performing the objectives of the organization was hampered by the legal structure of its foundation, as NUC was a non-statutory body within the Cabinet's Office while university education during the First Republic was within the concurrent list.After the military came to power in 1966, NUC was empowered to conduct coordination activities within the federal university system.