An international appeal to establish a chair in Commonwealth studies at London University has opened with a pledge from the new Nigerian government.
Nigeria's council of ministers has agreed to contribute $100,000 towards the estimated minimum Pounds 1.8 million cost of the chair, to be based at the university's Institute of Commonwealth Studies.
The chair will be named after Emeka Anyaoku, the Nigerian-born Commonwealth secretary-general, who is to step down after ten years in the job.
"Nigeria's commitment is a very good starting point," said Pat Caplan, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies. "It is at a propitious moment, with Nigeria's re-entry to full membership, the lifting of its suspension and efforts to integrate back into the international community."
Approaches will be made to the Commonwealth's 53 other member states in the run up to November's heads of government meeting in Durban. The last two similar meetings have been dominated by the question of Nigerian membership after the execution in 1995 of writer Ken Saro-Wiwa. Nigeria's readmission after democratic elections this year was satisfying for Chief Anyaoku.
The institute has lost academic staff numbers as a result of economy measures in the past few years and a new chair will be a welcome boost to its standing. Chief Anyaoku, a London graduate and honorary graduate, delivered a keynote speech at the institute's 50th anniversary conference in June.
Chief Anyaoku commissioned the 1996 review of Commonwealth studies, which found a low level of research in universities across the Commonwealth and recommended urgent remedial action.
Jerry Gana, Nigeria's minister of cooperation and integration in Africa, said the country saw the invitation to contribute as "a great honour to one of its great sons".