Astronomy research and teaching has been actively carried out in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka for the past 20 years and before that, in the Department of Mathematics. Economic problems, lack of recent journals, text books and computing facilities, and very poor communications have made it increasingly difficult for these programmes to continue. Added to these problems there is often unrest in the Universities resulting in frequent closures and almost constant uncertainty about payment of the already poor salaries. It is a wonder that anyone could be even thinking of astronomy.