Evaluation of Structural Inspection and Maintenance Planning for Public University Buildings in North-East Nigeria

Public university buildings in North-East Nigeria face accelerating structural deterioration driven by deferred maintenance, inadequate funding, security-related disruptions to normal operations, and the high utilisation demands of growing student populations. This study evaluates structural inspection and maintenance planning practices in buildings on four public university campuses in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa States in the North East geopolitical zone. A structural condition audit of eighty academic and residential buildings was conducted using a tiered inspection approach, with Level 1 visual surveys performed on all buildings and Level 2 non-destructive investigations conducted on a stratified sample of twenty buildings showing significant distress. Maintenance planning was evaluated through interviews with university works directors and review of maintenance budgets, inspection records, and contractor engagement logs over a five-year period. Results indicate that 67 percent of audited buildings were in poor to critical condition, with roof leakage and structural cracking the most prevalent defects. Maintenance expenditure per student per annum averaged 4,200 Naira, significantly below the estimated minimum of 18,000 Naira required for routine maintenance of the existing building stock. None of the four universities had a formally documented structural inspection schedule or a building condition database. The estimated cost of eliminating the maintenance backlog across the surveyed campuses was 14.6 billion Naira. The study recommends establishment of university building asset management units with dedicated maintenance budgets, annual structural inspection programmes, and exploration of public-private partnership models for facilities rehabilitation. Keywords: university buildings, structural inspection, maintenance planning, North-East Nigeria, building condition.