In May 1959, the Federal Government aimed to enhance the development of a skilled workforce by establishing the Eric Ashby Commission on Post School Certificate and Higher Education in Nigeria. The Commission’s report recommended the creation of a new university in Lagos, then the Federal Capital, to offer both daytime and evening courses in Commerce, Business Administration, Economics, and Advanced Management Studies.
In 1961, the Federal Government tasked a UNESCO Advisory Commission with detailed planning for the new institution. While the Ashby Commission had envisioned a non-residential university situated in the business district of Central Lagos, the UNESCO Commission recommended a traditional, comprehensive university with residential facilities on a larger campus.
Following the approval of the UNESCO Commission’s recommendations, the University of Lagos was officially established on October 22, 1962, under the University of Lagos Act of 1962.
Initially, the University comprised three faculties: Commerce and Business Administration, Law, and Medicine. It has since expanded to include 12 faculties, a School of Postgraduate Studies (established in 1981), and a Distance Learning Institute.
The University now operates across three campuses: two located in Yaba and the College of Medicine situated in Idi-Araba.
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