What Research Has Joined Together, Let No Methodology Put Asunder - By Bell IHUA

This article was first published in Business Day Newspaper of 11th October, 2018.

One of the common sins of Social Researchers is that after several years on the job, they begin to see human beings as tools to be used to achieve their research objectives. They no longer see the human side of their participants, but see them as mere puns on their chess board; just for the purpose of accomplishing a great research piece for publication or one that the client would be happy with when delivered. Unless social researchers train themselves consciously, they would find themselves guilty of this sin. I confess, I’m sometimes guilty. Ever so often, I catch myself veering off at events. Instead of relaxing and enjoying the moment, I seat there wishing I could share a few questionnaires, conduct a quick focus group or personal interviews to capture people’s opinions on any subject; especially when I have spotted a few folks in the crowd who seem quite opinionated. Of course, in a country like Nigeria, there are so many issues and concerns that could form the basis of conceptualizing an on-the-spot research project. You wouldn’t want to know some of the weird things cooking up in the mind of social researchers. A fellow researcher told me he had once imagined visiting the mortuary to interview corpses on causes of their death!

Luckily for me, I learnt very early in my research career that there’s so much more to people than seeing them as mere tools- respondents, participants and interviewees. My Professor, Andrew Fearne, modelled this a lot. He was the sort of researcher that made friends and built relationships alongside his academic and research journey; and the result was evident in the kinds of consulting assignments he was called on to handle, the number of external examiner roles and visiting professorships he received, the amount of research grants he won, and the exceptional collaborations he had with other academics and institutions across town and gown. So, I decided I wasn’t going to be a straight-jacket researcher, who only focuses on his research outcomes and deliverables, without seeking to touch base with the people I came in contact with on my research journey.

Fast forward to 2013, when ENABLE, a DFID programme in Nigeria, commissioned my firm to conduct a study on the impact of the MYTO II electricity tariff regime on SMEs in the country. One of the locations I had to visit was Bauchi State. The mandate was clear; (1) to meet and interact with members of the state branch of the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME), and (2) to interview owner-managers of SMEs in the state. Interestingly, I had the opportunity of meeting and interviewing several MDs and heads of leading Bauchi-based businesses, such as Alind Wires, Superior Core Industries and Bauchi Furniture to mention a few. However, on that journey, one particular interview left an indelibly remarkable impression on me. It was the session with Hajiya Aishatu Garba Lili, the owner of popular Al-Barka Bakery in Bauchi.

It was a sunny afternoon, and I visited Hajia Aishatu in the company of the NASME State Assistant Secretary at the time, one Alhaji Suleiman Gambo. On arrival at Hajia’s home, he did the initial introduction, explaining how I was an Abuja-based researcher visiting town to conduct a study on impact of the power sector and new electricity tariff on SMEs in Bauchi. His introduction was instantly met with stiff resistance. Hajia quipped “you people have come again. Many researchers have come here to interview us, and after they finish, we never see them again or see any changes in the challenges that we face.” Thank goodness, it wasn’t my first time hearing that sort of statement, so I simply smiled and watched quietly as she spoke. I sat in her lounge for close to an hour as she went back and forth attending to other issues and reverting at intervals. She decried the poor state of infrastructure, epileptic power supply, rising cost of raw materials (particularly flour and sugar), incidence of multiple taxes, and the lack of credit bedeviling the industry and hampering their operations. Things were tough, the economy was tight, and she had recently downsized and cut over half of her employees. What do you do when you’re faced with this kind of situation on the field?

Sometimes, researchers must learn to empathize with respondents. I could see that her initial resistance and apathy wasn’t because she had anything against me, but it was borne out of the frustrations, struggles and challenges of being a manufacturer in a country like Nigeria. I could tell that beyond the resistance was a kind-hearted woman, caring mother and community leader who many people looked up to for their survival. So, I sat patiently, smiled and gazed as she bore her heart on the challenges facing her bakery operations. Then after about an hour she turned and said to me, “what did you say your name is again?” I responded, and she retorted “I hope you’re not offended with me? It’s just that we’ve seen several researchers like you in the past, promising to address our issues, but after the interview, we never hear from them again.” I made her a candid promise, I wasn’t going to be a one-hit researcher, but I’ll keep in touch even after completing the assignment. Her eyes brimmed, I could tell she was happy, and she proceeded to answer my questions; even granting me access to site and take shots of electricity bills covering the period under investigation. I successfully conducted the interview and made a new friend in the process. I took pictures with her, and she gifted me with three loaves of her vintage Al-Barka Bread. She also shared her plans to apply for the YouWin Women entrepreneurs grant, of which I encouraged her to give it a shot! This marked the beginning of a long son-and-mother relationship between Hajia Aishatu and I.

The weeks, months and years that followed became one of friendship, family and bonding. It never mattered if she was Muslim and I a Christian. She called at intervals to check up on me, and I would do the same as time permitted. It became a standard rule amongst my colleagues, that anyone visiting Bauchi on projects must go pay homage to my mother, Hajia Aishatu. Suffice to say, she won the YouWin grant and rang me excitedly on phone to break the good news. She visited me in the office, at home, and met with my family several times. There was no time she visited Abuja that she wouldn’t call, bringing me Bread, Dried Meat (Kilishi) and Shredded Beef (Dambu Nama), all the way from Bauchi. Once I received her calls, I would drive down to wherever she was lodged and spend some time with her. Similarly, when it was Eid celebration, I would send funds to Alhaji Gambo to buy a ram and deliver to her home. She never ceased calling and praying for me and my family. However, sometime in late 2016, I received a call from her daughter, that Hajia was involved in an accident and hospitalized in Jos. I spoke to her on phone and prayed with her. She was later brought to Abuja to receive further treatment. My wife and I paid her a visit at Garki Hospital, spent some time with her, and had the opportunity of meeting her husband for the first time. Apparently, he had heard about me and said, “So you are the Dr. Bell I’ve been hearing about. It’s good to meet you.” Her health picked up afterwards and she returned to Bauchi.

Sadly, on 13^th November 2017, I received a call from one of Hajia’s nieces informing me of her demise. I immediately rang her daughter, who confirmed the news. I was broken, I was shattered, I wept like a baby, it was black Monday. My beloved Hajia Aishatu Garba Lili, was no more, and I never had the opportunity to say farewell. Regrettably, I was too broken at the time, that I was unable to write her a tribute. But as we come close to her 1^st year memorial in about a month’s time, I have spent some time reflecting on my relationship with Hajia. This was truly one relationship research joined together, and I pray for God’s continued strength on her family.

In conclusion, social researchers often find themselves excessively bogged down with trivial details bordering on methodological correctness and ethical concerns, that we tend to lose sight of the human angle of our work. I believe this is a critical aspect of social research, we have to be in touch with people. It is important to realize that human existence and relationships supersede any gratification that may come from producing an award-wining research piece. As Dike Chukwumerije aptly puts it, there’s no culture older than being human, we are first human before anything else.

Dr. Bell Ihua is a public opinion polling and social research expert. He writes from Abuja.