Optimum pH and coagulant dosage for chemical precipitation in wastewater treatment plants is conventionally obtained through repeated jar test. In this research, optimization of the performance of polyacrylamide in the treatment of industrial wastewater was carried out using response surface methodology. The individual linear and quadratic effect of coagulant dosage and pH on the degree of removals of nickel, total suspended solids, Chemical Oxygen Demand and turbidity were investigated. The optimum pH and polyacrylamide dosage were found to be 10.5 and 1.6 ml/L respectively and the optimum percentage nickel removal was 96.9%. The model used in predicting the precipitation process gave a good fit with the experimental variables and hence the suitability of response surface methodology for the optimization of polyacrylamide performance.