Abstract
Maintenance of higher education institution (HEI) buildings is a lifetime routine undertaken periodically. All architectural and structural elements of the buildings are maintained in tandem with the institution's overall policy. Thus, maintenance management of buildings in HEIs is concerned with managing and utilizing various resources to preserve the buildings' usability and efficiency at a specified standard. This research assessed the maintenance management of buildings in HEIs in the south-western part of Nigeria by identifying the maintenance management methods used by these HEIs, their common maintenance problems, the factors affecting the maintenance management of building in HEIs, and the measures taken to solve these maintenance problems.
A quantitative research design was adopted for data collection. The secondary data were collected through comprehensive reviews of related studies. The primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire completed by maintenance managers, supervisors, and technicians working in the Works Departments of the selected institutions owing to their direct involvement in maintaining buildings in their respective institutions. Overall, 165 questionnaires were sent out to the target respondents; 107 were received and used for the analysis, representing about a sixty-five per cent (65%) response rate. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as percentile, mean item score (MIS), standard deviation (SD), and exploratory factor analysis (EFA).
The findings revealed that the personnel in the maintenance departments of these institutions are adequately educated, with most of them being master's degree holders, and most are also very experienced. Further findings revealed that the common maintenance issues in federal HEIs in south-west Nigeria include joinery infestation and fittings, substandard finishes and cracks, deterioration and leakages, and rusting and installation issues. Furthermore, findings for the current maintenance strategies revealed that corrective maintenance is the most widely adopted strategy. Further findings revealed that climatic, material, and human factors are the significant factors affecting maintenance management. Likewise, the measures to improve maintenance management revealed that human, materials resources, and policy improvement measures are the most viable measures to improve building maintenance in these universities.
This study's contribution to knowledge has shed more light on the maintenance management of buildings in HEIs in Nigeria. The findings of this study will undoubtedly elucidate the university
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maintenance departments regarding the most common issues affecting buildings in their institutions. Likewise, findings exposed the significant factors affecting building maintenance and suggested the corresponding measures to solve these problems. The assessment carried out in this study will help university managements to shape maintenance policy formation in their respective institutions. The findings of this study are limited to the south-western part of Nigeria, thereby creating an avenue for future research in other parts of the country. This is recommended to create a broader assessment of the maintenance management of buildings in Nigeria.
Keywords: maintenance, building maintenance, maintenance management, higher education institutions.