The Nigerian Academy of Science was inaugurated in 1977 as the climax of five years of renewed effort by concerned Nigerian scientists under the auspices of the Science Association of Nigeria (SAN) to overcome the obstacles that had plagued previous efforts of about 20 years to establish an academy of science. The academy membership is currently 100: an average of 5 new members are elected each year. The main objectives of the academy are to promote the growth, acquisition and dissemination of scientific knowledge and to facilitate its use in the solution of major problems of national interest.