ANALYTICAL REPORT

ON THE STUDY OF

MAINTENANCE OF
RESIDENTIAL
BUILDINGS IN NIGER
STATE

COMPILED BY
MUSA NICHOLAS E. M.TECH/SET/2006/1560
ADOKURU CHRISTOPHER M.TECH/SET/2006/1570

ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING (ARC 625)

SUBMITTED TO
DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE
SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGY
FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY MINNA, NIGER STATE
 MENTOR: ARC. R.E. OLAGUNJU
NOVEMBER, 2008
INTRODUCTION
The relationship between design and maintenance is very elusive. In Nigeria, most
professionals never thought of maintenance when designing buildings. Instead, they
always point accusing fingers at one another and mostly at the tenants, landlords,
maintenance personnel, as well as weather conditions and even natural calamities when
buildings fail.
It is known that maintenance objective is primarily to preserve buildings in their initial
functional, structural and aesthetic states. This is to ensure that they continue to remain in
such state and retain their investment value over a long period of existence. However,
looking into our buildings in Nigeria, one notices an array of abandoned and epileptically
functioning facilities. Though many theories and hypotheses are postulated daily on
building issues and especially on building maintainability, maintenance problems remain
adamantly unyielding and unresolved. This is why there is a serious need now to
critically look at the problem from another perspective, i.e. from the angle of the
designers.
To many, it always appears that such well known poor functioning of facilities in most of
our buildings is a consequence of inadequate maintenance management. While this may
be true on one hand, it only addresses maintenance as a repair service that only comes up
when a building grinds to a halt or when the facilities have partially or totally broken
down. This can however be argued whether the exact nature of maintenance problems in
some buildings could never be traceable to certain factors or conditions that are inherent
in the design and production of the building.
And are some of these problems not preventable at the design stage? This is the question
that all architects need to ask themselves at the design stage. It is said that "Nigerians lack
maintenance culture", if this is so, then why can't architects give Nigerians "maintenance
- free buildings". Maintenance problems, in most cases could have originated from
inappropriate planning for such failures even from the architect's drawing board. From
inception, high maintenance strength could be implanted into the building to avert such
future breakdowns.
This report basically reveals the results of research carried out on the study of
maintenance of residential buildings in Minna, Niger State.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Data collection was carried out using an interviewer-administered questionnaire;

this is intended to get the views of the occupants that are directly involved with the
buildings. These questionnaires were administered to 50 households in selected areas
in Bosso Town in Minna, Niger State. These are namely; Bosso Estate, Bosso
Lowcost, Angwan Biri, Okada road, Jinpkan area, opposite F.U.T Minna, Angwan
Gwari, Mypa junction. The administration of the questionnaire was carried out
using a random sampling technique. The questionnaire was designed using simple
and direct questions, all forming part of the components of maintenance in
buildings. This was structured into eight sections namely;

(1)Building Description
(2)Building Data
(3)Annual Maintenance and Cost
(4)Adequacy of the Internal and External Layouts
(5)Physical Structure Condition
(6)Building Infrastructure Condition
(7)Surrounding Environmental Condition
A standard scale was used to measure residents' level of response to maintenance issues.
Charts and graphs were generated from the responses gotten from the respondents.
The data used for this analysis were solely gotten from responses gathered during the
evaluation period.

General Information
Generally, most of the staff are male

Fig 1.0 Showing the population density of the sample area.

Fig 2.0 Showing the various house types sampled

Fig 3.0 Showing the type of tenure ship

Section B: Building data

Fig 4.0 Showing the age of buildings in the sample area

Fig 5.0 Showing the storeys amongst the buildings sampled

 Space Management
Staff members were asked several questions relating to space management around
their working areas. These data were collected from the questionnaire. Their
responses have been analysed in forms of charts.
(a) Working posture; sitting /standing,

Fig 2.2 Showing the working posture of the staffs in Ola Furniture and Sawmills Co.

(b) Working obstructions from furniture or other persons,

Fig 2.3 Showing the working posture of the staffs in Ola Furniture and Sawmills Co.

(c) Distraction around working areas,

Fig 2.4 Showing the work distraction level amongst the staffs in Ola Furniture and Sawmills Co.
(d) Need space expansion for working areas,

Fig 2.5 Showing the need for expansion around working areas by staffs in Ola Furniture and
Sawmills Co.

(e) Free moving in case of fire outbreak,

Fig 2.6 Showing the movement level around working areas in case of fire outbreak.

User satisfaction
In this section of the questionnaire, staff members were asked several questions
relating to user satisfaction around their working areas. Their responses were also
analysed.
(a) Work satisfaction,

(b) Reasons for work satisfaction,

Fig 3.0 Showing the level of work satisfaction amongst staffs of Ola Furniture and Sawmills Co.

(c) Adequacy of lighting in working spaces,

FINDINGS / SUMMARY
The evaluation carried out in Ola Furniture and Sawmills Company reveals the
following;
General information
(a)All the staff workers are mainly men and they all work on a permanent
basis.
(b)About 90% of the workers are within the age range of 18-41 years.
(c)In terms of educational qualification, most of the staff could only finish
their secondary education.
(d)Most of the staff members had worked for at least 5 years in the industry.
Space Management
(a) Most of the works done are usually carried out at standing positions.
(b) About 90% of the staff agreed that do not experience any form of
obstruction while working.
(c) About 50% of the staff agree that they are been distracted by other
activities within the factory.
(d) Almost all the staff agreed that the working spaces provided for their
duties are adequate for them.
(e) Also they all believed there is free movement in case of fire outbreak.

User Satisfaction
(a) All the staff agreed that they enjoy their work, although most of them
believed it was rewarding and interesting.
(b) They have a first-aid box in case of any accident in the factory and it is
functional.
(c) There is no clinic provided for the staffs.
(d) Most of the workers actually do go for further training in related fields.
(e) About 60% of the staff believed that their working spaces are well lit and
also a large number of the workers also agreed that they have a well
ventilated working space.
(f) Most of the staffs do not wear any safety device.
(g) The factory has changing rooms provided for the staffs and it is adequate.