The Lagos University Teaching Hospital was established in 1962 by the Federal Government of Nigeria. (Lagos University Teaching Hospital Act 1961)
From the inception of the Hospital, Otorhinolaryngology otherwise known as E.N.T was established as a unit in the Department of Surgery. The unit was operated by Associate Lecturers and Part Time Consultants namely- Dr. Zaleska and Dr Phil-Ebosie.
In 1969, Dr. Murkjarjee was employed as the first full-time Consultant ENT Surgeon to run the Otolaryngology unit and in 1969, Dr. P.A Okeowo joined the unit as a Senior House Officer and was later sent for training in Britain by the Hospital. He came back in 1973 with FRCS degree and was appointed a Senior Registrar and later made a Consultant in 1974.
The following doctors joined the unit as Senior House Officer In Otorhinolaryngology, these included : Drs. Adekunle Okupe, Taiwo Ijaduola, Odunsi , Nelson Daniel, Oriola Okeni and A. Olabiyi . These doctors later went to Britain for Residency Training Programme in ORL. Dr. Ijaduola returned in 1978 with FRCS degree and was appointed a Consultant in the Unit in 1979. Dr Idewu FACS came from America as a Head and Neck Oncologist in the Unit but later resigned in 1984.
Full local training of Resident Doctors in ORL started at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital in 1983, Drs Olabiyi and Okeni returned from Britain, sat and passed the Part II Fellowship of the NPMCN in Nov. 1988. Dr OA Osinubi passed the Fellowship of West African College of Surgeons (FWACS) in 1991, he was followed by Dr. CC Nwawolo passed the Part II Fellowship of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN),in 1992 (FMCORL) and was appointed as the first indigenously trained Consultant in 1993. Other Residents who completed training in ORL in LUTH include: Dr. BA Adesanya, EA Oyewole, AO Somefun, BB Okunola, AO Imogu, FE Ologe, KA Adekoya, BK Beredugo-Amadasun, Ad Olusesi, BS Alabi, OO Olubi, AE Mazai, AO Ogunbase, AO Danfulani, AO Akinpelu, CN Asoegwu, BA Bamigboye, AP Adeyinka, OS Oguntoyinbo, CB Wanda, MA Akinola, WA Adegbiji,, DSOghu,OO Olowsusi, S. Oladeji, AA Adebayo, J. Ukeje, A. Abdulazeez, JA Idowu.
The Otorhinolaryngology unit was eventually upgraded to the status of a Department in the year 2008 with Prof. CC Nwawolo as the pioneer HOD, he was succeeded 5 years later by Prof AO Somefun in 2013 who handed over to Dr.BA Bamigboye in 2021. The Department aside from training her primary Resident Doctors has also trained Residents from other centers due to her dual accreditationstatus for both WACS and NPMCN, some of the centres include: LASUTH, UITH Ilorin, OAUTHC Ile-Ife, FMC Umuahia, UBTH Benin etc
Aside being a referral centre for Clinical Posting for ENT Residents in partially accredited centers, the department organized the first Basic Surgical Skills course for her Residents in the millienium era in 2001, now domiciled with the LUTH-WACS Basic Surgical Skills for all Residents. The department hosted the Faculty of ORL of the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria Temporal Bone Dissection Course for ENT Residents between 2002-2018 and the Endoscopic Sinus Ssurgery Course 2009-2019.
The department collaborates with the following: