Facilities Maintenance Crucial for Infrastructural Devt in Nigeria
Fadekemi Ajakaiye
A chief lecturer of the department of building technology, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Dr. Emmanuel Olufemi Akinsola has underscored the importance of facilities maintenance of infrastructures in the country.
Akinsola stated this at YABATECH’s 16th inaugural lecture with the theme, “Facilities Maintenance Management of Public Infrastructures: A Cinderella Without a Suitor-Absit Culture of Waste.”
According to him, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimated that the construction of 1,000 single-family homes generates 2,448 full-time jobs in construction and construction-related industries.
He said facility maintenance was needed particularly in the housing industry, stating that the housing sector was the bedrock of the economy of any nation as it impacts the economy at all levels.
He said, “Furthermore, NAHB estimates that roughly 30 per cent of the new home occupants’ income is spent on items produced by local businesses, such as hospitals, daycares centres, dry cleaners, and auto repair shops.
“The construction of low-cost houses is more labour intensive as compared to high end houses for users. It is important to note that houses are labour intensive or less expensive does not it will not fulfil the qualities of a home. This is because more labour is used in the construction of these houses. This is in-turn provide employment with low wage for any member of the family involved in the project thereby, putting food on their table. Apart from putting food on their table, it has a multiplier effect in other areas. This is because majority of these houses are constructed with locally made materials as compared to imported materials. “Also, this can stimulate labour employment because majority of the low wage income earners will probably use their house as their place of employment as most of them display their goods outside their residential apartments.”
He said maintenance operations are significantly and positively correlated to facilitates performance such as improvement of quality of living, enhancement of productivity and impactment of national economy.
Maintenance operation of the public infrastructure, he said, is ineffective in the country of which there is culture of waste arising from delayed maintenance operation.
Akinsola highlighted the importance of periodically surveying of facilities assets that determine if they are still functioning as designed and commissioned.
He suggested that the maintenance tools like maintenance manuals, facilities condition assessments and building surveys should be carried out at five years interval to know where attentions are required.
In his lecture, Akinsola revealed that public building designs does not meet the design standard parametres nor users need.
He stated that hostels are designed without projection of future student population; there are no adequate toilets and convenience facilities. Students are issued hostel allocation with induction of how facilities are to be used.
Akinsola described the public infrastructure as a Cinderella without a suitor and the policy makers in the name of Government, Management of tertiary Institutions, Governing councils which represents the suitor that is not available.
He therefore recommended the implementation of enhanced cleaning and security protocols, training maintenance staff on routine repairs and upkeep, implementation of waste management and recycling programmes, exploring public-private partnership for financing and operations.
In his remarks, the rector of the college, Engr. Ibraheem Adedotun Abdul stated that facilities maintenance management is very important because it allows everyone to have a stock of functional facilities to efficiently run the facilities that do not only contribute to efficiency but also, comfort and convenience of the working environment which will not present the governments and managements as penny wise, pound foolish.
“We could understand not only the instability in the provision of infrastructural facilities but, above all, the relevance of government institutions meeting the budgetary provision of 10 per cent of capital cost yearly for facilities maintenance and release of funds promptly are necessary to avoid delays that could spiral into cost overrun for the maintenance of these several facilities,” the rector said.
He highlighted that the negative disposition of management and government not to adequately fund facility maintenance could be attributed to political, inadequacy of funds and the analogue management processes.
He said, “The growing challenges of facilities maintenance management are of national dimension. The Nigerian situation is of a peculiarly different dimension, due to the developing nature and quantum of funds allocated to development annually without corresponding adequate allocation to facilities maintenance.
“It is clear from the lecture that the result of this neglect culminates in the total collapse of our infrastructures, equipment and building components thereby denying the citizenry the benefits of their functionality. No doubt there are numerous public infrastructures which are underperforming. Those ones critically examined by this lecture include housing, stadia facilities from the class of federal facilities, Hostel buildings, office accommodations, infrastructural components such as power and energy, facilities for conveniences, comfortability and efficiency of buildings.”
He lamented that due to the absence of maintenance tools and the appropriate equipment, operators adopt rules of thumb in the discharge of their responsibility towards the efficiency of facilities management.
“It is evident, that the nation is more prone to breakdown and emergency maintenance rather than prioritising, preventive maintenance. Government at all tiers should encourage the use of preventive maintenance more than breakdown and emergency maintenance as currently used in the Country,” Abdul stated.
