There are three major kinds of adult education in Nigeria today--traditional adult education, formal adult education, and Islamic adult education. Because it is the form of adult education most promoted by the government, formal adult education is the most dominant approach found in Nigeria. A look at Nigeria's national policy on education indicates that educational leaders in Nigeria view adult and continuing education as a panacea for the present and future ills of Nigeria. To implement adult education throughout the country, policy-makers have formulated a number of approaches. Included among these are (1) adopting mandatory continuing education; (2) adapting individual literacy programs to fit given cultural and sociological conditions; (3) creating national, state, and local inservice programs; (4) developing a National Service Program that is a cross between Vista and military scholarship programs; and (5) establishing national commissions for adult education in each state to coordinate activities. There are, however, a number of barriers to successful implementation of such programs, including corruption, conflicts between traditional Islamic beliefs and western educational practices, existing class structures, and the current totalitarian administration of Nigeria's educational program. (MN)