By Michael Eboh and Gabriel Ewepu
Against the backdrop of the widening facility management gap in the country, two firms in the building industry, Messrs Total Facilities Management Limited (TFML), and Max-Migold Limited (MML), last week signed a Memorandum of Understanding to bridge this gap.
This move was unveiled during a media conference with the two companies explaining how stakeholders in the built industry could prevent huge losses after constructing a structure.
The signing was done on behalf of the companies by the duo of Nwando Chukwura, Managing Director, TFML, and Mr. Paul Erubami, Managing Director, MML.
Chukwura who lamented the non-inclusion of facilities management professionals in projects executed by the public and private sectors said as a result, there are a lot of dilapidated and abandoned projects across the country.
According to her, TFML, partnering MML will focus on delivering best-in-class facilities management training to corporate organisations and individual professional facilities management in Abuja.
The collaboration will afford both public and private sectors the opportunity to acquire training in global standards, especially in Facilities Management (FM), Master Class short course along with the FM Master Class Craft nine months programme.
She noted that the real estate sector in Abuja has dearth of high quality facilities management training, which results in rapid asset dilapidation and high cost of maintenance with attendant loss of value both to investors and occupants, as a result of which the loss of resources has been enormous and unimaginable.
She said: “Our partnership with Max-Migold Ltd is a continuing expression of our corporate philosophy to lead the market, innovate and share knowledge in the practice of facilities management here in Nigeria, in which Max-Migold will lead the academic development process, working with a team of experienced and certified faculties and facilitators.
“However, as the market has embraced the practice of FM, we have also witnessed the surge in the number of firms in our industry. We have come to recognise the growing need to evolve in standards and set benchmarks for competence and performance.
“The strategic relationship between TFML and MML is aimed at filling this gap, the void we have noticed within Abuja and its environs in the practice of facilities management. To achieve this, we have reviewed special skills needed by facilities managers and aspiring facilities managers to deliver clients’ objectives either as in-house or professional service providers.”
According to her, the certificates that participants would receive from the training will be accepted internationally in accordance with best international practices and will reflect local peculiarities towards building a brand that would compete globally and take Nigeria to the world.
Also speaking, Mr. Paul Erubami disclosed that a Bill on facilities management has been at the National Assembly and has passed through second reading, will curb waste and loss in the nation’s building industry. He highlighted courses that would be running soon in the course of the training.
He also promised that they will embark on massive campaign on facilities management to promote maintenance culture across the country. “What Max-Migold does is consultancy, training and technology. To make facilities management work, there is a lot of technology, skills and whole body of knowledge. Facilities management is bringing together professionals from design, engineering, construction of projects and social sciences to create an environment for the functionality of the built environment.
“The Association of Facilities Management, Nigeria is registered and the FM Council Bill has gone through second reading and that is a major milestone. The Bill is to set up a council that would moderate activities in the FM industry and promote facilities management, career and industry player.
“There has not been a professional body for FM in Nigeria, but with the registration of the association and Council that will be on stream in 2018, we will have FM standing with other professionals in the area of infrastructure development in Nigeria.
“Short courses to be undertaken in this training centre include facilities management maintenance cost, facilities management strategy, facilities management operations, facilities projects management, workplace productivity and the facilities management business master class.
“The nine-month facilities management master craft training programme is bigger than a master’s degree from the university because of the way it is loaded, and will also run from this Abuja centre,” he stated.
