THE IMPACT OF MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS IN NIGERIA

THE IMPACT OF MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background of the study

Over the years, there has been increasing abandonment of building projects and infrastructural facilities which has led to the dilapidation, degradation and deterioration of these building structures within the Nigerian contemporary urban metropolis.

Recently there has been a lot of research investigations and analysis of which points unshakeable to the fact that certain features such as client’s perception, cost of maintenance works, unskilled maintenance technicians, inflation rates, effect of taxation on building owners, Government policies, inability to prepare and follow maintenance schedules are direct causes of neglect which leads to dilapidations and  deterioration  of  building  structures  (onibokun  1997).  There  are  also  the remote causes of lack maintenance such as force majeur, cultural problems, state of the economy, the receding global economic meltdown, lack of time and general illiteracy of the occupants of the building or structure and users of the facilities.

However there has also been growth in the significance of building maintenance as  a  proportion  of the output  of the  construction industry which  takes  place against a backdrop of mounting pressure on new build activity and a growing awareness of the need to manage the condition of the nation’s building and infrastructure more effectively (chanter 2007).

Though, it is still the case that such maintenance activity takes place in a context that does not create a fully integrated approach to managing building performance and thus the full potential of many buildings and infrastructures are never wholly realized.

Basically in virtually all the towns and city centers within the Nigerian, buildings and  infrastructural  facilities  are  gradually  and  systematically  decaying, dilapidating and deteriorating with reduced or no degree of maintenance programme and activity.

From a normal visual perception in the urban metropolis, it can be noted that majority of the

(a)       constructed buildings both private and public

(b)       road network

(c)       water supply systems

(d)       sanitary and drainage systems

(e)       transmission poles and electricity lines (f)        government owned telephone networks (g)       telegraph and postal systems

(h)       sign post and route l0ocation posts

are deteriorated and badly in need of maintenance. The lack of maintenance of these buildings and infrastructures negatively affects the populace which thus affects the output of the working class, capacity of the populace is thus lost, time value for achievement of goals and objectives minimized , it also causes all forms

of ill-health and psychological effects thereby reducing the economic growth of the nation.

THE IMPACT OF MAINTENANCE OF BUILDINGS IN NIGERIA