MAINTENANCE OF THE FEDERAL SECRETARIAT COMPLEX MINNA, NIGER STATE: A POST OCCUOANCY EVALUATION APPROACH

Abstract

Government office buildings in Nigeria are generally faced with premature but steady and rapid deterioration, decay and dilapidation due to lack of maintenance. This study evaluates the main factors responsible for the poor maintenance of the Federal Secretariat office complex, Minna, Nigeria using a post-occupancy evaluation approach. The study determines the extent of dilapidation of the office building and the feelings of the users about their office environment. The most frequently recurring maintenance problems are ascertained. By using occupants as a bench mark in evaluation, this paper discusses research with the broad aim of developing a general guideline for the POE practice, specifically for government and public building in Nigeria. The research method used was a combination of the descriptive and analytical survey methods. A total of 20 structured questionnaires comprising were administered to the users of the office building. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study recommends POE as an effective, relevant and beneficial tool to be used by the public sector in evaluating the performance of government and public buildings in Nigeria.