By Millicent Ifeanyichukwu

Dr Emmanuel Akinsola, Chief Lecturer, Department of Building Technology, Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), has called for establishment of effective facility management units in organisations to promote maintenance culture.

Akinsola, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Builders in Facilities Management, made the call on Thursday while delivering the 16th YABATECH Inaugural Lecture Series 2024.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the lecture had the theme: ‘Maintenance Management of Public Infrastructure: A Cinderella without a Suitor – Absit Culture of Waste’.

Akinsola said that culture of waste had continued to take its toll on property and infrastructure in healthcare, sports, recreation, electricity, public transport, water reticulation and educational facilities.

He advised that experts should be engaged to bring their knowledge to bear on public infrastructure maintenance as well as provide information on the implications of delayed maintenance on economic growth.

“The inaugural lecture recognises the need for development of new infrastructure by governments and managements but underscores the importance of facility maintenance.

“Public infrastructure is the proverbial Cinderella without a suitor.

“Nigeria has spent a lot of money on infrastructure development but it doesn’t maintain them, and that is why we have failures in many sectors,” Akinsola said.

He identied funding as the driver of maintenance operations.

“Public infrastructure receives less than average allocations to thoroughly and regularly execute maintenance exercise.

“This affects the maintenance operations of the facilities and consequently their performances.

” It is then inevitable for the infrastructure to finally break down before emergency maintenance is carried out.

“There is a need for government to devise a way to maintain its infrastructure,”he added.

Akinsola, also a fellow, Institute of Facilities Management and Office Administration, recommended that facility condition assessments and building surveys should be carried out at five years intervals.

“Every new development should be accompanied with a build drawing and maintenance manual,” he said.

He said that there was the need to train maintenance staff on routine repairs and upkeep: establishing reporting system for users’ feedback and complaints.

Akinsola added that there was need to implement enhanced and security protocols: developing cleaning schedule, enhancing security measures, and upgrading building facilities with energy-efficient system and renewable energy sources.

The senior lecturer urged YABATECH to live according to its mantra: “First Among Equals” by ensuring maintenance culture and timely upgrade/renovations as well as securing adequate funding for maintenance services.

In his remarks, the Rector of YABATECH, Dr Ibraheem Abdul, appealed to governments and organisations to deploy competent hands to their maintenance departments.

Abdul said that preventive maintenance should be encouraged to avert breakdowns and their consequences.

“The traditional analogue maintenance methods are out of tune with today’s needs. The solution is shifting the paradigm to computerised maintenance.

“Due to absence of maintenance tools and appropriate equipment, operators adopt rules of thumb in the discharge of their responsibilities.

“It is clear from the lecture that the result of this neglect culminates in total collapse of our infrastructure, equipment and building components, thereby denying the citizenry the benefits of their functionality,” he said.

The rector said that there were no maintenance manuals for YABATECH’s multimillion naira buildings.

“These buildings running into billions of Naira do not have maintenance and repair manuals, whereas a handset of N20,000.00 comes with a maintenance and repair manual,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola