A developing society needs to adapt to change and foster creativity. In the pursuit of continual
improvement (i.e. reducing energy consumption, better service performance, greater
availability and improved reliability), implementing wise maintenance schedules is essential
for contemporary organisations. Several studies of a wide range of Nigerian industries
indicate that indigenous low availability and low productivity are endemic. The resulting
closure of some of these industries has triggered off a realisation of the strategic challenges in
maintenance management. In addition, the contemporary increasingly-competitive business
environment in Nigeria has raised the strategic importance of maintenance functions,
especially in organisations with significant investments in physical assets. Five strategic
aspects of maintenance management have been identified, namely: - maintenance
methodology; support processes; organisation and work structuring; comparable culture; and
general management. Three factors that permeate these dimensions are wise leadership,
excellent communications and an understanding of the human factors involved.