CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Maintenance culture in this study suggests the habit of regularly and consistently keeping a building, machine, facilities, equipment, infrastructures etc in good and working condition. In support of this assertion, SuwaibatulIslamiah, Abdul-Hakim, Syazwina, & Eizzatul (2012) posited that maintenance culture is the values, way of thinking, behaviour, perception and the underlying assumptions of any person or group or society that considers maintenance as a matter that is important and practices it in their life. If a nation must develop, it is imperative that installation as well as maintenance of its existing facilities be given priority. This is more so for developing nations like Nigeria where there is a huge gap between the supply and demand for such facilities due to high rate of population growth and other factors (Dabara, Ankeli, Guyimu, Oladimeji, & Oyediran, 2015). Nigerian government, according to Eti, Ogoji, & Probert (2006), took certain economic steps towards being among the best twenty economies in the world by the year 2020. Attaining sustainable infrastructural development by successive governments and cultivation and practicing maintenance culture are essential in achieving this vision. Infrastructure facilities generally referred to as economic and social overhead capital which includes education, water supply, sewage systems, and energy. Others are postal and telecommunication services, transport system, hospitals and roads (World bank, 1994; Oluwasegun, Okorie, Dabara, & Abdulazeez, 2013; Dabara, Lawal, Adebowale, Ankeli, & Gambo, 2016). Governments (Federal, State and Local), private organizations and individuals need to have a strategy on how to maintain their infrastructural facilities to ensure sustainability of same. This can be achieved through maintenance culture which is said to have a correlation with national development. It is common knowledge that the deplorable state of public facilities in Nigeria poses great concern to stakeholders. Facilities at Nigeria’s airports, hospitals, schools, roads etc would give indication that the society lacks an agent that would have helped manage, ensure effective and efficient functioning of the facilities as well as fostering national development. Nahimah (2008), while working on the state of Nigerian Aviation Industry, opined that the flaws in the Nigerian Aviation sector was attributed to lack of maintenance culture and the training of professional engineers. The author further argued that, acquiring aircrafts is not as relevant to the industry as good maintenance of the existing ones, adding that a well maintained aging aircraft is as good as a poorly maintained new aircrafts. This paper wholly agrees with the author. Existing maintenance records as posited by studies carried out by Eti, Ogoji, & Probert (2006) and Omotehinshe, Dabara,. & Guyimu, (2015) had suggested the deteriorating nature of public facilities in terms of street lights that were erected some years back by the past and present governments that would have served as means of beautification and illumination in our society, but due to lack of maintenance culture in terms of bulbs replacement or fixing minor faults has turned our roads to death traps and hubs of illicit games, such as arm robbery stations. Contribution of private organizations into national development cannot be over-emphasized in term of facilities construction (industrialization), environment conservation, employment generation and assisting government businesses through prompt payment of taxes. These, opined Nahimah (2008), are achievable when companies’ operational facilities (machines) are continuously reliable, available and maintainable throughout their installed service years. Eti et al. (2006) opined that a developing society needed to adapt to change and faster creativity. To these authors, the pursuit of continual improvement, implementing wise maintenance schedule are essential for contemporary years. They further argued that challenges in maintenance management among Nigerian industries resulted in low availability of materials, and productivity which eventually could lead into the closure of certain industries. Assets and facilities are essential to an organisation’s resources, thus improving the working environment and well-being of their maintenance is an important aspect that should be given serious attention. This is where there is need for adequate and constant maintenance awareness for all the members involved in the organisation’s facility management towards achieving the cooperate goal of the firm. However, the problem of maintaining the Nation facilities has become an important agenda for the country and mounts pressure on government in the aspect of managing its assets and facilities, (Annies, 2007; Ajibola, 2009; Ankeli, Dabara, Oyediran, Guyimu, & Oladimeji, 2015). We therefore, as agents of national development for improving the quality of infrastructure in our society, need maintenance culture at governmental level and private sectors as well as individual levels. It is on this note that, the paper addresses causes and effects of poor maintenance and way out of the menace in order for our country to realize her dream.

Nigeria as a developing country is seriously confronted with insufficient resources for establishment of capital overheads or infrastructure which are essential for harnessing the available raw materials for production. But the desire to reshape, improve and develop the economy has been paramount in the various programmes, strategies and policies of the country. Since after independence, a large chunk of the country‟s resources have been channeled to transportation infrastructure construction, industries, government administrative buildings for ministries and parastatals, schools, colleges and universities. Besides, assorted types of vehicles, tractors and trucks are acquired for essential services. All are geared toward repositioning the underdeveloped economy. However, one remarkable action needed to ensure sustainability of these varieties of infrastructure has not been given the right and sufficient attention. Maintenance culture which encompasses provision for adequate care of the hard earned infrastructure have not gained ground in the consciousness of resource managers in the country over the years, and consequently, you see government buildings at the verge of collapsing, abandoned factory plants and machinery, dilapidated school buildings, pot-holes and chasms on the constructed highway roads, deserted vehicles with minor problems, moribund industries and a host of other property belonging to the country which have little or insignificant problem. These actions in myriad ways have resulted to a colossal waste of scarce resources. It is really one of the major problems, hitherto ravaging and undermining the developing countries, especially Nigeria. Bamgboye (2006) posits that maintenance is the art of bringing back the operating condition of an asset into normal functioning at a minimal cost capable of enhancing the life span of the item. In other words, maintenance is the ability and skill of keeping infrastructures available for normal use and the designed life span of many infrastructures are at present very low in Nigeria. Life span enhancement necessitates a culture of adequate maintenance. They are various perception of the term culture, but in this work culture is perceived as the key that influences behaviour of getting things done the right way without which there is a hindrance of the attainment of goals. It is shaped by the interaction between individual and groups that share the value, perception and goal they have assimilated from previously generation which is continued in other generations. Really, culture in the context of a work establishment or organisation is put in place when social relationship among members influences their pattern of thinking, behaviour and belief (Wilkins, 1994; Brendan, 2006; Sani et al, 2011).This implies that maintenance culture brings to bare the adoption of the attitude of ensuring regular servicing, repairs and maintenance of working assets or established system so as to the guarantee their continuous usefulness.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Over time, lack of maintenance culture has been identified as one of the problems of national development. The way and manner people handle government property is worrisome forgetting that these infrastructures belong to them. It has been observed over the years that poor maintenance culture in Nigeria had affected the lifespan of government property. The absence of routine maintenance and poor handling of utilities, including cars, television and radio sets in government offices and private companies had remained the major source of their short life span. Consequently, the declining maintenance culture in Nigeria and its effect on public building and other property has therefore become a major problem to the government at various levels.For instance, virtually in all states of the federation, there are so many bad portions on highways leading to road crashes that had left so many people to groan in pain as a result of injuries and deaths. Last year, four students of Federal Government girl’s secondary school, Owinni Oyo and a driver of the mini bus conveying the students to school lost their lives at Sabo junction, a road leading to the school when a trailer fell on the mini bus while maneuvering a bad portion of the road. This road in question was later rehabilitated when the damage had already been done to the lives of the innocent young girls.

The causes of poor maintenance culture could be attributed to corruption, attitudinal problem, unfavorable government policies and diversion of funds meant for project implementation. Since maintenance culture is a panacea to the development of any nation. It is therefore imperative for relevant authorities to form national policy on continuous maintenance culture that would be effective at all the three tiers of government.

OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is to find out the implication of poor maintenance and administration in Nigeria public sector, the specific objectives are:

1.     To find out the causes of poor maintenance culture in Nigeria

2.     To investigate the effects of poor maintenance on the economy

3.     To proffer solution to the problem of poor maintenance culture in Nigeria.

4.     To find out if there is any measure taken by the government presently to curb poor maintenance

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions guides the researcher to achieve the stated specifics objectives

1.     What are the causes of poor maintenance culture in Nigeria

2.     What effect does poor maintenance has on the Nigeria economy