A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS(2)

It may be legitimately said that the high point of the physical development of the University was reached between 1981 and 1985 with the completion of the Senate House Complex (1984). From the point of view of academic growth, the following may be considered as some of the significant features:

1. The merger of the Federal University of Technology, Abeokuta (FUTAB) with the University of Lagos in October 1984 and the former's redesignation as the College of Science and Technology (COST AB) (1985) and the subsequent transfer of courses to Lagos;

2. The establishment of the University of Lagos International School in 1981 and its movement to a permanent site in October 1985;

3. The formal establishment of a School of Postgraduate Studies on 22 July, 1981
4. The remarkable increase in student numbers at the undergraduate and graduate levels; from the rather modest intake of 131 students for the entire University in 1962, student enrolment in the University stood at 24,450 in 1995/96. In 1980, there were 456 graduate students, 1,203 in 1985 and 2,157 in 1990.

The period between 1981 and 1991 may be described as "a decade of economic leanness." The University seemed to share in the economic woes of the country as it helplessly watched many of its facilities fall into disrepair, and several employees leave its services for greener pastures. There had, of course, been attempts to stem the tide of economic helplessness through the establishment of Unilag Consult and Unilag Enterprises (now Unilag Ventures).

Since 1995, however, the University has made tremendous strides and succeeded much more in pulling down, halfway at least, its heavy cloak of economic dependency or helplessness by extending the range of its revenue generation activities and securing the generous financial involvement of individuals in restoring and even heightening its glorious image.