Professional Ethics in Nigerian Archaeology: Examining Practice Against the AAA Code

Professional ethics in archaeology encompasses responsibilities to the archaeological record, to research participants and descendant communities, to colleagues, and to the public, yet the practical application of ethical standards in Nigerian archaeological work has received minimal critical scrutiny. This study examines professional ethics in Nigerian archaeology by evaluating reported and observed practices against the standards articulated in the Archaeological Association of Nigeria (AAN) Code of Professional Ethics, drawing on a structured survey of eighty-three practising Nigerian archaeologists, documentary analysis of published research, and focus group discussions with senior academics and heritage professionals. Survey findings reveal that while most respondents endorse the AAN Code in principle, significant proportions report practices that diverge from its provisions, including failure to obtain informed community consent before survey activities, inadequate sharing of research findings with affected communities, and the acceptance of research funding from companies with active interests in archaeological localities being investigated. Documentary analysis of fifty recently published Nigerian archaeological papers identifies that acknowledgment of community consent protocols is absent in seventy-two percent of cases, and benefit-sharing arrangements with local communities are described in only six percent. Focus groups identify institutional pressures, inadequate ethics training in postgraduate curricula, and the absence of formal enforcement mechanisms as primary drivers of the practice-principle gap. The study recommends mandatory ethics training modules in all Nigerian university postgraduate archaeology programmes and the establishment of an AAN Professional Standards Committee with investigative authority. Keywords: professional ethics, archaeological practice, Nigeria, AAN code, research ethics.