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The Ethica problem of conducting research in Nigeria as follows:

One of the major problems militating against scientific research in general and

educational research in particular is the complete absence of a clear cut philosophy of national development, a philosophy which should spell out the direction in which Nigeria wants to channel its development efforts, a philosophy that should not change no matter how frequently political power changes hands. With the frequent changes of political power in Nigeria and the attendant instability, inconsistency and incoherence in governmental policies and programmes, the practitioner in the education industry, including the researcher, is left confused. Before the researcher concludes an evaluative study of a particular programme or policy, it is either discarded or replaced with a different, sometimes completely divergent policy or programme. Political instability has also taken its toll on the educational and research institutes in Nigeria.

The academic calendar is frequently disrupted: there are strikes, lockouts, closures and general social upheavals - and all these can influence the orientation, timing, process and quality of any research activity in the field of education. And yet, the politician or policy maker out there is waiting, with his characteristic suspicion of, and impatience with the education researcher. A consistent, coherent and comprehensive philosophy of national development is essential for concerted research effort.

Similarly, until recently, not much was done to set up appropriate policy making bodies to guide activities in the area of educational research. The ministry of science and technology dates back less than one decade and there is no separate ministry in charge of higher education.

Even the NERDC is a relatively recent creation. And until 1977, no clear-cut policy statement on functional education was evolved. As pointed out in passing earlier, the resources available for research are grossly inadequate just as is the case too in many other African countries. Even when special funds are provided for research, they are too inadequate to meet .the research needs of Nigeria.

Consequently, developing African countries still depend on all forms of foreign aid to support research, such as those provided by the U.S.A.I.D. and the U.N.E.S.C.O. The fear and uncertainly in certain quarters today is whether the 20 to 30% funding level accounted for by foreign aid would be maintained, in view of the ongoing restructuring in the global political and economic order, and, especially, in view of the implications of Nigeria's suspension from the Commonwealth. And there is the rapidly dwindling national economy which makes it doubtful if Nigeria herself can continue to maintain 70 - 80% share for research and development activities.

The problem of inadequate infrastructure dates back to the colonial era and has remained ever since. Today, there is a gross shortage of equipment for experimental research, especially hi education. Surveys are much less demanding by way of back-up equipment, and these are the more common types of .research In Nigeria. After independence, the corps of the new administrators and intelligentsia was not attracted to research, nor were the professions of science or science-based technology made attractive and respectable. Researchers do not enjoy any respect in the Nigerian context.

All these factors formed some of the reasons identified as militating against research activities when the Africa Ministers of Science and Technology met in Arusha in July, 1987.

Problems identified as having prevented the achievement of the goals of the 1980 Lagos Plan of action included the failure of many countries to allocate adequate hinds to research, the shortage of well-trained personnel, and the lack of infrastructure and a special status for scientists. The Body also alluded to the political instability and the fragile nature of African economies, further worsened by the burden of debt servicing.

Apart from these major forces, mere are other socio-psychological problems

that also inhibit research efforts in Nigeria. There is the factor of ethnic heterogeneity. Except care is taken in planning and conducting research, wrong conclusions about the incidence of some condition could sometimes be drawn through basing the observation on a section of the population which is not representative of the whole.

Certain socio-cultural factors indigenous to the Nigerian scene could also combine to impede research efforts in Nigeria. For instance, it has been shown elsewhere (Jimoh, 1986), that the average Nigerian does not like to reveal his true intention or belief or identity to other people, especially those considered to be outsiders, for fear they might harm him or stand between him and progress. Among the superstitious beliefs still current among some groups of Nigerians is the belief that children are not to be counted. Similarly, Nigerians do not seem to have acquired a scientific concept of causality. They see themselves as helpless animals being moved around and worked upon by forces outside of themselves, such as their dead ancestors.

Research hi education is a scientific activity which has no room for superstitious beliefs. Again, as a result of cultural factors, Nigerians still largely regard certain concepts, issues and topics as taboo subjects that should not be discussed in public or openly. And although the Nigerian undergraduate might discuss sex, family planning, politics, AIDS with his coevals, he might feel too shy or otherwise uncomfortable to let an adult (and a stranger at that) into the secret of how he feels about any of these subjects. Upon the whole, it does not appear that the culture of research, whether in education or in any other area, has been properly developed yet in Nigeria, with the result that policy makers and even human participants are very skeptical about educational research.

Research is time consuming and requires full time of total commitment. In Nigeria, the conditions do not permit researchers to be fully committed to their calling. There is economic hardship; people spend long hours on queues to buy fuel into their vehicles; there is general insecurity (of life and tenure of office); researchers are not given due recognition; there is economic depression; systems of transportation and communication are inadequate, and several man hours are lost everyday; there is a general resistance to innovation and change among those who would utilize the theories evolved from extensive research endeavours; record keeping is so inadequate in many institutions that the researcher spends much longer time retrieving relevant pieces of information. Even if, as a Nigerian, the researcher decides to devote himself entirely to research endeavours, the demands of the extended family system would make this almost impossible.