Scholars observes a sharp decline in the research productivity of academics in terms of the number of articles published in Nigeria from 1980-1989 and 1990-1999 based on an analysis of 21 core Nigerian Library and Information Science (LIS) journals indexed in Social Science Citation Index database. They also observe that Nigeria has the highest proportion of rejected papers in Africa out of the papers submitted to the African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science (AJLAIS) for publication. In an attempt to reinforce the notion of a low publication output in Africa, the UNESCO Statistical Yearbook which reports that 55 titles are being published per one million readers in the developing world as against the 487 titles per one million readers in the developed world. In the same vein, while reporting on low research output in Nigerian universities, The World Education News and Review (2006), states that Nigerian academics’ research output is relatively low. The report shows that out of over 70 universities in the country as at the time of the study, only 20 were found to have performed creditably well in terms of academic research production. This view has been corroborated by Agarin and Nwagwu (2006), to the effect that in 2005, Nigeria was ranked next to the least of the countries in the world with the evidence of scientific research. The paper historically reviewed the determinants of research productivity among Nigerian researchers. It concludes based on available statistics that Nigerian scholars’ position in terms of their contribution to international acceptable journals has continued to remain low. The paper urged the government of Nigeria to create the necessary institutional framework and support that will enable Nigerian academics to enhance their productivity.