RELEVANCE OF FACILITIES MANAGEMENT TO NIGERIA’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

Facility management is a critical business discipline, identified as an important catalyst that boosts the efficiency of organizations worldwide. The multi varied services it offers makes it an asset not only to organizations but to a nation’s economic development. This study investigates articulately the relevance Facility Management has on the economic development of Nigeria. The results from this study will hopefully create more awareness on the usefulness of Facility management in economic development, hence increasing its applications for the betterment of Nigeria’s economy. This study revealed the various sectors in which facility management has being applied in Nigeria, as well as correlating its (facility management) performance and relevance in each sector to the economic development of Nigeria, a correlation found to be very significant. Nigeria’s poor management and maintenance culture has being the cause of major collapses in some sectors of the country, major facilities like the Ajaokuta iron and steel plants, the Kano textile industries, National Art theaters and Museums, National Stadium (Lagos), as well as many Tourists facilities, which has failed as a result of poor management, depriving the nation of their much needed input in economic development and increasing the rate of unemployment in the country.

INTRODUCTION

In the quest to enhance economic efficiency in organizations, or a nation at large, a mix of functions and services are relied upon to provide the necessary support essential to its core operations. Ensuring that these support services are available and adequately rendered in the right form, right quality and at the right cost, to yield the desired results of the organisation is the task of facility management. Facility management has proved very difficult to define because of its broad scope and area of practicability. However, an acceptable definition by a European Standard (EN 15221.1) explains Facility management this way: 

“Facility management is the integration of processes within an organization to maintain and develop the agreed services which support and improve the effectiveness of its primary activities.”

Facilities managers are expected to understand their company’s core operations and contribute to them not only by reducing operational costs, but also by improving the productivity, revenue generating capacity and image of the entire organization.