PROPERTY MAINTENANCE IN YABA COLLEGE OF

TECHNOLOGY
(A CASE STUDY ON CENTRE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP

DEPARTMENT)

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Properties in public institutions like Yaba College of Technology contributes value to the
society. Physical infrastructure constitutes a high proportion of the institution investment. It is
therefore of great importance for buildings built on aforementioned institution to be properly
maintained in order for them to serve both the architectural, functional and aesthetical
purposes for which they are built. The physical appearance of buildings in public institutions
constitutes to the basis upon which the society makes their initial judgment of the quality of
services to be offered.
The importance of the built environment to individuals and any organization or even a nation
cannot be over emphasized because it provides the infrastructural based for all human
activities (Adejimi A. 1998). However, for any building to perform its function, it is
necessary that they are maintained and kept at their optimal performance level at all times.
One important factor needed for the accomplishment of such task is accurate, regular and
systematic inspection of such building in preventing costly damage or injuries that may take
lives.
When buildings are neglected, defects can occur which may result in extensive and avoidable
damage to the building fabric or equipment. Poor maintenance has resulted in damage and
deterioration to some public buildings in Yaba College of Technology. Neglect of
maintenance especially in relation to replacing electricity cables, windows, door knobs and so
on are relatively common to all buildings on the campus. After many years of neglect, it can
give rise to hazardous activities and delivery of poor services especially to the students and
uncomfortable working condition staffs of the institution.
Lawal (2002) however, argued that appropriate management principles and maintenance
techniques are necessary to make every building worthwhile for human use.
Property maintenance keeps a property in optimal condition—in both function and comfort—
through a number of proactive and reactive maintenance tasks.
This study is an attempt to uncover the various constraints and challenges of property
maintenance in Yaba College of Technology using Centre of Entrepreneurship Department
Building as a case study. Mbamali (2013) added that poor maintenance culture has become a
widely recognized problem in Nigeria which has poorly affected the quality of public

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properties. Public property is property that is dedicated to public use and is a subset of state
property. The term may be used either to describe the use to which the property is put, or to
describe the character of its ownership (owned collectively by the population of a state). This
is in contrast to private property, owned by an individual person or artificial entities that
represent the financial interests of persons, such as corporations. State ownership, also called
public ownership, government ownership or state property, are property interests that are
vested in the
Maintenance brings about improved utilization of buildings and ensure the highest safety
standards are followed. A good maintenance culture is also a good disaster mitigation system.
Moreover, a well operated system of maintenance for buildings and equipment has the effect
of being a very effective disaster mitigation measure in terms of cost and facility usage. It
ensures the most economic way to keep the building and equipment in the best of form for
normal use, given the original design and materials. Maintenance, which can also be
explained as the continuous protective care of the fabric, contents and settings of a place can
be categorized according to why and when it happens, as corrective maintenance, which is
necessary to bring a building to an accepted standard. Planned maintenance is work to
prevent failure, which recurs predictably within the life of a building such as cleaning gutters
or painting. Emergency Corrective Maintenance deals with work that must be initiated
immediately for health, safety, security reasons or that may result in the rapid deterioration of
the structure or fabric if not undertaken (for example, roof repairs after storm damage, graffiti
removal, or repairing broken glasses).
According to Seeley (1987), neglect of maintenance has accumulative results with rapidly
increasing deterioration of the fabric and finishes of a building accompanied by harmful
effects on the contents and occupants. Therefore, buildings are too valuable assets to be
neglected in this way.
Public institutions like Yaba College of Technology allows their structures to care for
themselves without any sustainable maintenance plan to preserve the quality of the buildings.
The continued efficient and effective performance of public institutions depends on the nature
of their buildings in addition to other factors such as enhanced conditions of service,
provision of the requisite tools etc. There is every need for public institutions to embrace
preventive maintenance practice as a high priority rather than adhoc maintenance. Managers
are to oversee periodic inspections of buildings’ conditions and create an inventory of
buildings’ components and equipment should be appointed. Public institutions should ensure
that their maintenance department is adequately staffed. There is also the need for a national
policy on maintenance to be formulated to protect buildings, institution of a maintenance
awards scheme for public institutions and establishing a maintenance fund to be managed for
maintenance of public buildings in the country. The adoption of effective maintenance policy
and innovations that would address the building maintenance problem in public institutions.
The deterioration of buildings hampers its ability to perform adequately, thus is important to
ensure proper maintenance to prevent deterioration.
The management of the Centre of Entrepreneur Department has obviously not pay adequate
attention to the maintenance of their faculty building. This attitude has caused extensive

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damages to the building. The process of property maintenance is on keeping, restoring and/or
upgrading all the component parts of the building to the original functional efficiency and
currently acceptable standard. This implies that the maintenance of every infrastructure
prevents it from obsolescence.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Yaba College of Technology has many building properties and there is need to maintain these
buildings so that they can be suitable to met the purpose of creation. This negligence has
resulted to unfavorable learning environment, low productivity in terms of usage. Maintenace
process must be continuous actions carried out when needed or periodically so has to improve
the quality of existing property.
Many public structures are not well maintained. The components of such buildings, such as
floors, ceilings, doors, and windows, frequently express evidence of the nonexistence of
maintenance and repair. Some office and residential buildings of public institutions have not
experienced any major maintenance since they were constructed. This has resulted in such
structures being in a dilapidated state, and some of them having been totally abandoned.
Thus, lack of maintenance of these facilities by occupants and authorities regularly results in
the reduction of the lifespan of such buildings (Talibet al., 2014). In view of the above, this
research assessed the center of enterpreneurship. As a result, questions were noted to guide in
the course of attaining the objectives of the research.
1. What are the conditions of the buildings in center of entrepreneurship department in Yaba
College of Technology?
2. What are the challenging factors affecting maintenances of assets in the study area?
3. What are the ascertain various types of maintenance suitable for all the assets in the study
area?
4. What are the enumerated checklist of the conditional state of the assets in the study area?
5. What are the property maintenance strategies to adopt in solving maintenance problems in
the study area?

1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The aim and objectives of this study is to assess the maintenance routines and policies of
the Centre of Entrepreneur Department in Yaba College of Technology.
In order to achieve the aim of this study, the following objectives are raised to:
i) Examine the conditions of the buildings in Centre of Entrepreneur Department in

Yaba College of Technology.

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 ii) Identify the challenging factors affecting maintenances of assets in the study area.

iii) Ascertain various types of maintenance suitable for all the assets in the study area.

iv) Enumerate the checklist of the conditional state of the assets in the study area.

v) To ascertain the property maintenance strategies to adopt in solving maintenance

problems in Centre of Entrepreneur Department in Yaba College.

1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study on property maintenance of Centre of Entrepreneur Department in Yaba College is

focused on improving the quality of services that is delivered to the students by the faculty.

According to Olatubara and Adegoke(2007), maintenance transcends the focus of the

building alone, to include the maintenance of all other auxiliary facilities,utilities and

services, both internal and external to the building to cover its immediate neighborhood.

1.5 SIGNIFINANCE OF THE STUDY

The significance of this study is to be of great value to that know the immense importance to
the strident and authorities of tertiary institutions, especially Yabatech as it would not only
help them trace the cause and effect of maintenance problem but also suggest how best to
tackle them. Above all, the way the researcher squarely traced and uprooted the root causes
and effect before dashing out her recommendation will alert the government too quickly and
precisely intervene, thus bringing the problems of poor student’s academic performance in
adequate accommodation.

For the academics, the literature review, findings and recommendations will enrich the scanty
literature of this topic and also serve as further researchers in the study area. This study will
also benefit the occupiers and property managers on how to carry routine management
practices in the study area.

This research will provide a good insight into maintenance of other properties in Yaba
College of Technology.will be of immense importance to the strident and authorities of
tertiary institutions, especially imt as it would not only help them trace the cause and effect of
accommoda5tion problem but also suggest how best to tackle them. Above all the way the
researcher squarely traced and uprooted the root causes and effect before dashing out her

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recommendation will alert the government too quickly and precisely intervene, thus bringing
the problems of poor student’s academic performance in adequate accommodation.

1.6 LIMITATION OF STUDY

1.7 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

PROPERTY: is a term used in economics and law to refer to objects or rights that can be
owned. In economics, property is often defined as the "bundle of rights" associated with an
object or right, including the right to use, enjoy, and dispose of it. (Harold Demsetz, 1967).
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE: refers to the process of preserving and caring for physical
assets to prevent deterioration and ensure continued functionality. The goal of property
maintenance is to extend the useful life of an asset and to minimize the need for costly repairs
or replacements. (Michael D. Eby, 2011).
MAINTENANCE: refers to the set of tasks and actions carried out to preserve or restore an
item to a functional and safe condition. This can include preventative and corrective
maintenance, as well as repair, refurbishment, and overhaul. (Terrence O'Hanlon, 2006).
ADHOC MAINTENANCE: is a reactive and unplanned approach to maintenance, where
repairs and maintenance tasks are carried out only when an issue or problem is detected. This
type of maintenance is usually less efficient and more costly than a more proactive approach.
(Richard B. Irwin, 2012)
ASSET: This is any resource owned by an organization that can provide future economic
benefit. This can include physical assets such as buildings, machinery, and equipment, as well
as intangible assets such as intellectual property and brand reputation. (Thomas R. Ittelson,
2011).
Planning: is the process of identifying, defining, and organizing activities to achieve an
objective. This can include tasks such as setting goals, identifying resources, and developing
a schedule for achieving the objective. Planning is a crucial part of any project, and is
essential for ensuring that the desired outcome is achieved. (Martin J. Rosenau, 2013).
HIGHER INSTITUTION: This is an educational institution that provides higher education,
such as universities, colleges, and vocational schools. These institutions offer degrees and
certificates in a wide range of subjects, and provide the opportunity for students to specialize
in a specific field of study. (Peter Scott,2012).