Maintenance and Management Challenges of Public Infrastructural Facilities in Nigeria –Barriers to Modern Technology Approach

Over the past few years, there has been a global growing interest in research dealing with the potential impact of cutting-edge technologies on maintenance and managing infrastructures of civil engineering public infrastructures. This paper focuses on maintenance and management challenges of public civil infrastructural facilities in Nigeria, assesses the current state of infrastructure, identifies the barriers to modern technology approach, and suggests possible ways to improving the maintenance practices in Nigeria. Research questionnaires consisting of closed-ended questions and a few open-ended questions, were administered to various stakeholders in the civil engineering infrastructure industry, and analyzed. Findings show that the current state of public infrastructural facilities maintenance was rated as either poor or very poor, indicating a high level of dissatisfaction. The identified central barrier in the implementation of cutting-edge technologies in Nigeria is corruption, signaling that corruption is perceived as the core barrier to progress. The investment in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and drones was recommended for predictive maintenance and remote inspection solutions. Anti-corruption measures are viewed as more critical than technological solutions, hence, these measures are highly recommended. Human capital development was also seen as equally vital to successful technology integration. Keywords: Maintenance, Management, Public Infrastructure, Challenges, Modern Technology, Barriers.