SIR: I have observed with serious concern that the culture of maintenance is lacking in Nigeria and will continue to be so unless something drastic is done to halt the trend.
In developed countries like United States, Britain and Italy to mention a few, maintenance has always been part and parcel of their culture. The Statue of Liberty in the United States of America, the famous Tower Bridge on the Thames River popularly known as London Bridge, and the Big Ben, the tower clock hung since 1858 in London and ancient structures such as Rome’s Coliseum, built as far back as AD 60 and the Roman Forum are evidence of the importance of maintenance in preserving monuments that are vital to the history of not only cities but countries.
Here in the African continent, Egypt, an ancient country also boasts several monuments such as the Pyramids and the Great Sphinx which is about 4,000 years old.
The recently concluded Olympics Games hosted by the city of London also highlighted the age-long tradition of maintenance where tourists and visitors were conducted round the different monumental structures, one of which is the beautiful Church of England which has been in existence for centuries and still has all its architectural beauty intact and even stronger than modern-day structures.
It is noteworthy to state that the aforementioned monuments still exist and are well-sought-after by tourists from all over the world due to the high premium that is placed on their maintenance and preservation by the government. The beauty and attraction of these cities stem from the fact that the various stakeholders involved have not only taken maintenance as part of their culture but have domesticated it in their everyday lives.
Back home, what we have in our dear country is an opposite of what obtains in developed countries, where our citizens throng on a daily basis for greener pasture. Maintenance in Nigeria is almost non-existent owing largely to negligence, inconsistent government policies and desirability of new projects at the expense of maintaining the old ones and misplacement of priority.
Another area where maintenance has been dealt a major blow in the country is the spate of collapsed old structures which can still stand the test of time if properly maintained. Buildings that ordinarily ought to have been pulled down are still in existence due to non-enforcement of appropriate building and maintenance laws. Many unsuspecting occupants of such edifice soon become victims when it eventually collapses. Stakeholders, including government and individuals have major roles to play in ensuring that we all imbibe maintenance culture.
In May 2012, the assessment of the nine-year-old National Stadium, Abuja which was supposed to play host to the botched pre-season tour by Arsenal Football Club of England, was carried out by the Senate Committee on Sports. The report by the committee was quite shocking as it was revealed that the Stadium was in a ‘sorry’ state.
In Ogun State, huge step towards reviving the tradition of maintenance is being taken. Noteworthy is the repair work recently carried out on the June 12 Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta. The structure which was built in 1992 is wearing a new look.
Apart from the fact that the existing structure was repaired, painted and given a facelift, new innovations such as a swimming pool, fun fare arena, children playground, a blend of the contemporary amusement park, and a traditional local café have been introduced.
Also, 1,500 modern and colourful seats have been fixed to replace the obsolete ones. The beauty of maintenance is that not only the existing old form is taken care of, new innovations and ideas of the current era which could not have been in existence when the project was created would be incorporated, while also keeping track of history which will become embedded in the sand of times.
• Olatunde Tijani,
Public commentator, Abeokuta.
