Factors Affecting the Performance of Labour in Nigerian Construction Sites

The paper identified some factors perceived to be negatively affecting the performance of construction labour and also examined how these factors vary from site to site in the Nigerian construction industry. To achieve this, structured questionnaires were administered on contractors and labour (operatives) on forty construction sites in the study area to sample their opinions. A Likert statistical technique was employed for the analysis in this perspective. The result indicated that unfair wages (RI = 0.89), negative influencing factors (RI = 0.85) and lack of motivation (RI = 0.79) were ranked high by the labour while the contractors ranked lack of training (RI = 0.84), poor communication (RI = 0.79) and inclement weather (RI = 0.71) as being affecting the performance labour in this respect. It was recommended, among other things, that contractors must study the peculiarities of their workers and identify their main motivator

An Investigative Study of Corrosion Effects of Cereals on the Grinding Components of Commercially Available Grinding Machines

This study investigates corrosion effects of household food products such as cereals on commercially available grinding machines. Samples of grinding machine materials, such as alloys of cast iron and mild steel, were exposed to water and to two identified cereal environments, i.e. corn and sorghum in solution. The loss in weight of the alloy samples in the various environments were determined over pre-determined intervals. The corrosion rates of the alloys were then determined from analysis and found to be 15.314 W/T and 13.863 W/T for cast iron and mild steel, respectively, where W is the weight loss and T is exposure time. It was discovered that corn had more corrosive effects on the alloy samples as compared to sorghum. Furthermore, cast iron has higher corrosion rate than mild steel. This research work reveals the extent of corrosion on grinder materials in cereal environments and so would aid the foundry men in appropriating the chemical composition of the alloys to suit such environment

Sustainability Strategies in Engineering Infrastructure Maintenance in Developing Countries: Selected South Western Nigeria States Case Study

It is an undeniable fact that production of maintenance- free infrastructure is not feasible. The reality is that all the elements and components that make up an engineering infrastructure unavoidably, deteriorates with time due to inherent defects in design and construction, and the effects of environmental agents and users activities. All engineering infrastructures are subject to aging, wear and tear in the performance of their functions and deterioration by exposure to outside operating environment. Hence, left to themselves, engineering infrastructures will eventually become inefficient, unreliable and fail.  The issue then is how the existing infrastructure can be sustained to the extent that the functions they are designed to perform will not be compromised. To this end, this study researched into sustainability strategies that can be adopted in engineering infrastructure maintenance. Data will be collected for purpose of extracting information on deployable strategies, including the use of Public engineering infrastructure in Southwestern part of Nigeria as case study. The study later recommended strategies than can be adopted to aid this present generation provide solution to their environmental needs without compromise ability of future generation to meet their needs, which concept of sustainability has birthed. Key Words: Sustainability, Strategy, Infrastructure and Maintenance

CHALLENGES CONFRONTING CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM FOR SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: PROFESSIONALS PERSPECTIVES (A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA)

The success of the Nigerian construction industry can be aligned with the use of construction project management systems, although, the industry has been maligned by issues such as building collapse, incessant delays, abandonment and cost overrun. It is therefore imperative to examine the challenges confronting construction project management system in Nigeria. In this study the descriptive survey method was adopted and data were obtained by means of inquiries using questionnaires. A sample size of fifty nine (59) construction professionals was used for the study. The study reveals that location of a project majorly influences Project Manager’s decision making on project planning. It asserted the crucial importance of Management skills required in practicing construction project management. In conclusion, the result identified that passive participation from Project Manager, lack of client involvement in making decisions, provision of substandard materials, design error, lack of effective communication and poor treatment of workforce are challenges hampering the use of construction project management. The study recommends the institutionalization of construction project management practice, compulsion of adequate training and skill modification programs for construction professionals to aid the sustainability of construction project management systems in Nigeria

Sustainability Strategies in Engineering Infrastructure Maintenance in Developing Countries: Selected South Western Nigeria States Case Study

It is an undeniable fact that production of maintenance- free infrastructure is not feasible. The reality is that all the elements and components that make up an enginee ring infrastructure unavoidably, deteriorates with time due to inherent defects in design and construction, and the effects of environmental agents and users activities. All engineering infrastructures are subject to aging, wear and tear in the performance of their functions and deterioration by exposure to outside operating environment. Hence, left to themselves, engineering infrastructures will eventually become inefficient, unreliable and fail. The issue then is how the existing infrastructure can be sustained to the extent that the functions they are designed to perform will not be compromised. To this end, this study researched into sustainability strategies that can be adopted in engineering infrastructure maintenance. Data will be collected for purpose of extracting information on deployable strategies,including the use of Public engineering infrastructure in Southwestern part of Nigeria as case study. The study later recommended strategies than can be adopted to aid this present generation provide solution to their environmental needs without compromise ability of future generation to meet their needs, which concept of sustainability has birthe

Mobility of the Poor in Akure Metropolis: Income and Land Use Approach

Nigeria being a developing economy still has a high percentage of low income earners. Mobility and modal choice affect us all in our daily life whether we are commuting to work or for recreational purpose. Catering for the effective and efficient mobility of this unique set of low income earners is a task for transport planners. This research assessed the mobility of the poor using land use and level of income. The study area was divided into six zones based on the land use configuration.Income level, frequency of trip and the predominant modal choice for both work and business trip were evaluated. The result showed that the use of taxi and motor cycle in the study area is high. The low income group has the highest frequency of trip base on the level of income and land use. The result of this research will aid the government at all levels and policy makers in formulating a good transportation scheme for the low income earners now and in the foreseeable future. It will also provide policy makers with an improved understanding of the travel behavior of the poor and their preferred modal choic

Mobility of the Poor in Akure Metropolis: Income and Land Use Approach.

Nigeria being a developing economy still has a high percentage of low income earners. Mobility and modal choice affect us all in our daily life whether we are commuting to work or for recreational purpose. Catering for the effective and efficient mobility of this unique set of low income earners is a task for transport planners. This research assessed the mobility of the poor using land use and level of income. The study area was divided into six zones based on the land use configuration.Income level, frequency of trip and the predominant modal choice for both work and business trip were evaluated. The result showed that the use of taxi and motor cycle in the study area is high. The low income group has the highest frequency of trip base on the level of income and land use. The result of this research will aid the government at all levels and policy makers in formulating a good transportation scheme for the low income earners now and in the foreseeable future. It will also provide policy makers with an improved understanding of the travel behavior of the poor and their preferred modal choice. Keywords: (Poor, Low Income Earners, Modal Choice, Land Use, Income

Assessment of Physio-chemical and Bacteriological Quality of Water Supply for Domestic Use in Student Hostels in Nigerian University

The study examined the consistency in quality of water supply within the student halls of residence in a Nigerian University. The water samples were collected at four different points along the supply chain for three months and both physico-chemical and bacteriological tests were conducted on the samples based on World Health Organization (WHO) and Nigeria Standard for Drinking Water (NSDW) standards concurrently. The results of the physico-chemical test showed that all the samples were within the WHO and NSDW specified permissible range except their pH (4.57-6.00). However, the bacteriological results revealed that the Escherichia Coli (E. coli) of all samples (2, 2, 4 and 28cfu/100ml) were not acceptable. In addition, the fecal coliform results of two samples (0cfu/100ml) were within WHO and NSDW permissible limit values while other samples (1,2 cfu/100ml) were contaminated by some measure of fecal element. Nevertheless, the results of Total Coliform samples of two points were 0&3cfu/100ml therefore within the acceptable limit range but, the remaining two samples points (TNTC) were not acceptable. One of the influences on the result of the bacteriological is the closeness of the water supply pipes to the sewage pipes. In conclusion, bacteriological standard required by both WHO and NSDW was not satisfied in the water supply to the halls of residents. Therefore there is urgent need for the treatment of water supply against the presence of fecal elements to forestall liable diseases for sustainable health

Repositioning Technical Education a Panacea to Solving Globalization Challenges in Construction Sector

Globalization has created a wind of change that has eroded landscapes of economy of nations of the world. Globalization era has led to emergence of new engineering ideology, concepts, tools, machines as well as systems and procedure. In some places, private economy drive has been left to private sector while government provides policy and ideology formulation interphase. Technical education is one of the areas affected by this phenomenon and in turn, the construction sector, thus the need for its repositioning towards quality delivery. Technology education is at the forefront of providing landscape training towards individuals being produced by the sector having thorough understanding of their place in contributing to the economic growth of construction sector. Thus, technical education need to be repositioned further to enable more relevance of its products to their environment. Therefore, the study considered repositioning technical education towards solving globalization challenges in building sector. In order to achieve this, sampling technique was used in this study, 120 structured questionnaire, designed in Likert scale form, on scale 1 to 5, was used for the study. It was discovered that repositioning the technical education in developing economy like Nigeria would involve taking the following position; overviewing of the current curriculum, running technical-based education, introducing cutting edge equipment and tools, technology transfer, technical symbiotic relations among economic drivers, adjustment of government policy, training and retraining issue, preventing discriminatory tendencies between technical based vocations and non-technical based jobs, emphasizing technical competence and partnership between education institutions and industry. The study concluded by recommending the following as a solution: infrastructure, research, adequate funding, technology incubation center and training/retraining for the practitioner

Factors Affecting the Competencies and Project Delivery of Small-Sized Indigenous Construction Firms in Lagos State

Every industry is prone to problems Performance is a general challenge affecting construction and most especially small-sized indigenous construction companies. The study focused on determining the likely factors affecting the competencies and project delivery of small-sized construction firms in Lagos. 60 questionnaires were designed and administered to professionals (15-Architects, 15-Builders, 15-Engineers, and 15-Quantity Surveyors) working in the construction companies in Lagos State and 48 questionnaires were retrieved. These questionnaires were analysed with SPSS and several findings were derived from this analysis. The various factors affecting the performance and project delivery at varying degrees are: high cost of plants, equipment, materials and labour, lack of skilled craftsmen, unavailability of funds, poor managerial skills, lack of government patronage, and poor communication among stakeholders. The study found out that the most prominent factors are poor managerial skills, lack of project planning and unavailability of funds. The main factors affecting the performance of small sized indigenous construction firms are based on three key elements namely time, quality and cost. These three elements when properly harnessed will increase the performance of small sized indigenous firms. The study recommended that the use of ICT would help improve performance by making work flow more easily. Access to bank loans and more machinery on site and sufficient government patronage would improve performance. It concluded that better management and project planning would go a long way in improving competencies and project delivery of small sized construction firms