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Both the public and private sectors of the economy in any country have machinery and infrastructural facilities that require effective maintenance to enable them to function properly. Some maintenance actions have to be executed periodically to prevent failures, malfunction and damage. When equipment and machinery are not maintained, there is frequent breakdown and the cost of maintenance or replacement as the case may be is high due to neglect.
Nothing, tangible or intangible, is to serve humanity for infinite life. The railway system, dams, buildings, bridges and road networks we have built today will serve us as long as we keep maintaining them. We want to have functional refineries. Then, we must be able, willing and ready to maintain them. We want good roads. We must maintain existing roads.
Policy decision makers at all levels of government should always ask: What is the cost of maintaining an infrastructure before it fails and the cost of maintaining the same after it has failed?
Our inability to maintain critical infrastructure across the length and breadth of the country is reflected in the words of a prominent politician:
“I cannot believe what I saw here. This is simply unacceptable. I was here when this complex served as a Governor’s Lodge. I am shocked at what it has become even with a specialized agency mandated to manage the place. The committee I set up had briefed me on the poor state of most of the property. For this Lagos housing estate, something urgent has to be done. Let me assure residents here that there will soon be a new lease of life” – Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, expressing dissatisfaction at the sorry state of the state Governor’s Lodge in Lagos. (Punch March 26, 2023)
Read also: Group renovates school building, calls for maintenance culture in Nigeria
There is no way words alone can describe a society where maintenance culture is given priority. We must as a people inculcate a strong maintenance culture by adopting strategies of predictive maintenance to avoid the breakdown of our assets. We need to inculcate a maintenance culture in Nigerians because effective maintenance is the platform on which strong technological development can take off.
BRT operator assures passengers of buses’ maintenance, The Nation, February 7, 2020
The Managing Director, Primero Transport Services, operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), Mr. Fola Tinubu, has assured passengers of adequate maintenance of the buses.
He spoke yesterday in a phone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
“We have been fixing the ACs and our people should have automatically withdrawn such buses from services immediately after they were notified.”
“If I know those passengers, I will personally apologise to them,” he told NAN.
NAN correspondents, who were on board alongside some passengers on the BRT bus with registration number EPE 368 XR, on Wednesday observed that seven seats were drenched from the AC, forcing people to abandon the affected seats.
Passengers of the buses had appealed to the Lagos State Government to pay attention to the maintenance of the buses.
Athletes, officials panic as National Stadium Lagos floodlight collapses, The Guardian April 20, 2023
Tragedy was averted, yesterday morning, in Lagos, when one of the giant floodlights at the National Stadium collapsed.
“Also, note for clarity and proper guidance that the ongoing repairs do not cover flood lights and 16 other parts of the stadium that need urgent renovations. What do you expect when a stadium that is 51 years old is left unmaintained for 19 years?
Read also: Understanding the starting point for maintenance
“When the Ministry said the stadium was old and needed money to fix it after 19 years, Nigerians reacted without considering the facts about the stadium. What do you expect when you leave a specialised structure for 19 years without maintenance?
“It is a 51-year-old structure for crying out loud. 19 years of neglect. That is what we are trying to correct, but people think other sectors and buildings need money but sports facilities do not need money. Every building suffers wear and tear and so also a stadium.” he said.
Lagos begins Ojuelegba flyover truck barrier repair, diverts traffic
The Lagos State Government on Friday announced a traffic diversion for repair works on the truck barrier at Ojuelegba Flyover Bridge.
The government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the diversion was scheduled for the night of October 2, 2023, from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m.
He said the diversion was necessary to ensure the repair work of the truck barrier at the Ojuelegba Flyover Bridge which was recently damaged again.
He, however, announced alternative routes for motorists during the diversion.
Third Mainland Bridge now a death trap, motorists lament, Punch, October 17, 2023
Motorists have again raised concerns over what they described as the deplorable state of the Third Mainland Bridge. They have called on the government to immediately fix the bridge which is the longest among the three bridges that connect Lagos Island with Mainland.
The about 11.8km bridge starts from the Oworonshoki end of the Mainland and ends at the Adeniji Adele Interchange on Lagos Island.
The bridge has witnessed different rehabilitation works since it was completed in 1990 with the last one carried out on April 2, 2023, by the Lagos State Government.
Despite these interventions, however, PUNCH Metro reports that potholes are spreading on the bridge, raising fear of accidents among the users of the bridge. From the beginning of the bridge to its end, potholes are noticed with more noticeable ones around the Obalende to Adekunle stretch. They are also noticeable while approaching the bridge from Ebute Meta.
“We need the government to help us maintain the road so that the road will be free for everybody.”
The state government had yet to announce a new date for the rehabilitation. On Friday, while speaking on Channels TV, the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, opposed the idea of continuously pilling asphalt on the bridge.
According to him, pilling asphalts on the bridge could be dangerous as it could likely cause vehicles to overturn.
Read also: Infrastructure maintenance: the ‘ownership culture’ problem in Nigeria
Burden and benefits of maintenance
Policy decision-makers at all levels of government should always ask: What is the cost of maintaining an infrastructure before it fails and the cost of maintaining the same after it has failed? There is a huge difference between the two. If an infrastructure is not maintained properly and at the right time, it will become an economic burden to the owner. Or the ministries, departments and agencies whose duty it is to maintain the defective infrastructure. One of the many ways of wasting scarce resources is to neglect the timely maintenance of infrastructural facilities in the country.
Before experts were talking about Preventive maintenance but let’s start considering Predictive maintenance in order to have economic benefits and ultimately to avert total breakdown of infrastructural facilities.
But you need data to enable you to switch from preventive to predictive maintenance. I am talking about operational and maintenance-related data. When was the infrastructure built, for how long has it been used and when will it be due for the first, second and third maintenance activities, and so on? When is the infrastructure to undergo life-extended maintenance or replacement? For how long are we expected to use the facility before replacing it? We should not think that once an infrastructure is installed, it will serve us for eternity. We should ask our friends from nations where critical infrastructure doesn’t break down before maintenance.
We need regular maintenance of infrastructure with data to back it up. There must be data. You need this data for analysing the overall performance and identifying areas for improvement as well as ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and optimizing operational and maintenance costs.
When it comes to the overall assessment, it is crucial to show appreciation and respect towards a few individuals burdened with the crucial task of keeping our vital infrastructure. Without their diligent efforts, the maintenance of roads, bridges, and other national assets would have undoubtedly turned into a nightmarish ordeal. While we may sometimes overlook the significance of our policymakers and politicians, life continues to move forward. However, if we disregard the maintenance of our infrastructure, the entire system is bound to crumble and collapse. Thank you.
