31-01-2013, 03:22 PM
EVALUATION OF FACTORS AFFECTING MAINTENANCEOF MOSQUE BUILDINGS IN OSOGBO, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA
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ABSTRACT
Poor maintenance practices have become a critical issue not only to government properties as it is often perceived by users but also to mosque buildings. This paper examined various factors affecting maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, Osun state. To achieve the set objectives, research survey method was adopted. A total ten (10) central mosques representing 55% of the total number of central mosque buildings were selected in Osogbo. Questionnaires were used to collate opinions of custodians and users of these mosques. A succinct review of related literatures and field observations were also carried out. The analysis was carried out on the data collected from the administered questionnaires through a descriptive approach. Findings revealed that the maintenance management found in most mosquesin Osun state were grossly inadequate while in some cases, were not in place. The paper concluded that mosque buildings maintenance were surrounded by lack of good management policy, use of poor quality materials and construction methods and incessant inflation rate as it affect the cost of repairs of any defective part(s). Recommendations were however given in order to alleviate the ravaging problems constantly caused by poor maintenance and these include introduction of a maintenance committee or officers which will help to ensure quick repair of defective components, provision of adequate funding and review of existing management policy.
INTRODUCTION
Ọṣun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Osogbo. It is bounded in the north by Kwara state; in the east partly by Ekiti andOndo states; in the south and west by Ogun and Oyo states respectively. Osun state is popularly known for its cultural heritage and as the ancestral origin for the Yorubas. The inhabitants of Osun state are predominantly Muslims. In Osun state, there are a set of mosques built in memory of prominent individuals andothers built by communities to enable them perform their obligatory five-time salat prayers. While some of these mosques maintain their initial aesthetics and finishing, some are in a deplorable state. This is as a result of decline in maintenance practice due to various factors among which is lack of fund (Adenuga et al., 2007).This can be seen in the way most properties ranging from government to private deteriorate as a result of neglect. Mosques buildings are not left out of this poor maintenance practice. According to Turrel (1997), recognisable requirements for practicing good maintenance of building stock have been established and this has not been embraced universally. Iyagba, (2005) opined that it is practically impossible to produce maintenance free buildings but the maintenance aspect of any building can be achieved through a good design and skilled workmanship using good quality methods and materials.
MAINTENANCE OF MOSQUE IN ISLAM
In most mosques, the head of maintenance section or committee is called waliyy(guardian). He takes care of the mosque and gives directives to members of his group t ensure that the mosque is cleaned always (Ali, M.M. 1986). This is done by ensuring that there is adequate supply of water for ritual bath and ablution; maintenance of all sanitary wares and makes corrections to any defective part of the building. Absence of waliyy in mosque is mostly felt in the manner in which mosque maintenance is kept. Most mosque with exception of few such as national mosque where government take absolute responsibility for their requirement, do not consider having waliyy.Maintenance of mosques is however, left for anyone that wishes to do the work for Allah’s sake.
SOURCES OF FUND FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF MOSQUE
According to Quraishi, M.T (1984), there are many legally permissible ways by which funds can begenerated for the maintenance of the mosque in Islam. One of suchways, which Islam duly recognized is Waqf, an endowment of propertyfor the maintenance of the mosque. As an example, Ibn Tulūn was saidto have constituted a large number of houses as endowment for hismosque and hospital. This endowment covered those for the salaries ofmosque officials, for teachers' quarters, for the support of visitors, andfor feeding, among others. Another method is the direct maintenance ofthe mosque by wealthy men who in most cases are builders of suchmosque.In an Islamic state, some mosques may be under the patronage of thegovernment and put under the care of a special ministry (Yusuf, T & Abdur Rahim, L. 2004).In this part of the world, special donations and periodic contributions arethe means by which many mosques are being maintained. Launchingprogrammes, appeal funds and other collections from occasions areother means of generating money for the maintenance of the mosque.
CAUSES OF LACK OF MAINTENANCE OF MOSQUE BUILDINGS
Today, there are so many problems responsible for deterioration in mosque buildings. According to Aradeon (1996), he enlisted some of these problems responsible for lack of maintenance to include unskilled professionals and lack of dedication on the part of the users. The two major problems revealed by this study are finance and lack of dedication. The repair costs for defective parts of mosques are often beyond available fund.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Most mosque buildings in Nigeria lack adequate maintenance upkeep. Muslims generally are quick to erect mosques without giving adequate attention to its continuous maintenance. As a result, most mosques ended up becoming deteriorating over time with poor finishing, cracking walls and failing decorations among others. This however, cannot be ignored and hence the need to evaluate the factors affecting maintenance of mosque building in Osun state using appropriate with a probable solutions to prevent poor maintenance practice.
AIM OF THE STUDY
To find out the factors affecting maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, Osun state with a view to identifying major maintenance problems and seeking appropriate solutions to them.This is achieved by examining the physical state of mosque buildings, and by determining various factors affecting maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, Osun state.
METHODOLOGY
In order to examine the lack of maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, a list of both the public and private central mosques were surveyed. Simple random sampling method was adopted to allow for equal chances among all the mosques selected. Study population for this research comprises of mosque executive committees and users.Two sets of questionnaires were – Category A and Category B were structured for both the mosque executive committees and users respectively to obtain relevant primary data. A total of 10out of 18 central mosques were selected for this research work. Each selected mosque received a total of 8 questionnaires; four (4) questionnaires were directed to executive committees and four (4) to mosque users in each mosque under study making a total of 80 questionnaires. However, a total of 40 questionnaires were completed and are used for data analysis. The secondary data were oral interviews and discussions,internet findings, journals, related books and photographs.
CONCLUSIONS
All buildings irrespective of the type require maintenance if it must stand the test of time and also contribute meaningfully to economic development. Mosquebuildings are not left out of this. The study revealed that the major factors causing poor maintenance in mosques surveyed are lack of funds and dedication on the part of its custodians. Majority of the mosques provide budget for maintenance works but are often found grossly inadequate.And where money is found adequate it is mostly mismanaged.This unpardonable attitude affects all aspects of our national endeavours .The study also revealed that the absence of maintenance officer(s) waliyycontributes greatly to poor maintenance practice found in mosques surveyed. Relying on congregation who only comes in when it is salat period to make good any defective part of the building is not a good practice.
[attachment=49097]
ABSTRACT
Poor maintenance practices have become a critical issue not only to government properties as it is often perceived by users but also to mosque buildings. This paper examined various factors affecting maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, Osun state. To achieve the set objectives, research survey method was adopted. A total ten (10) central mosques representing 55% of the total number of central mosque buildings were selected in Osogbo. Questionnaires were used to collate opinions of custodians and users of these mosques. A succinct review of related literatures and field observations were also carried out. The analysis was carried out on the data collected from the administered questionnaires through a descriptive approach. Findings revealed that the maintenance management found in most mosquesin Osun state were grossly inadequate while in some cases, were not in place. The paper concluded that mosque buildings maintenance were surrounded by lack of good management policy, use of poor quality materials and construction methods and incessant inflation rate as it affect the cost of repairs of any defective part(s). Recommendations were however given in order to alleviate the ravaging problems constantly caused by poor maintenance and these include introduction of a maintenance committee or officers which will help to ensure quick repair of defective components, provision of adequate funding and review of existing management policy.
INTRODUCTION
Ọṣun State is an inland state in south-western Nigeria. Its capital is Osogbo. It is bounded in the north by Kwara state; in the east partly by Ekiti andOndo states; in the south and west by Ogun and Oyo states respectively. Osun state is popularly known for its cultural heritage and as the ancestral origin for the Yorubas. The inhabitants of Osun state are predominantly Muslims. In Osun state, there are a set of mosques built in memory of prominent individuals andothers built by communities to enable them perform their obligatory five-time salat prayers. While some of these mosques maintain their initial aesthetics and finishing, some are in a deplorable state. This is as a result of decline in maintenance practice due to various factors among which is lack of fund (Adenuga et al., 2007).This can be seen in the way most properties ranging from government to private deteriorate as a result of neglect. Mosques buildings are not left out of this poor maintenance practice. According to Turrel (1997), recognisable requirements for practicing good maintenance of building stock have been established and this has not been embraced universally. Iyagba, (2005) opined that it is practically impossible to produce maintenance free buildings but the maintenance aspect of any building can be achieved through a good design and skilled workmanship using good quality methods and materials.
MAINTENANCE OF MOSQUE IN ISLAM
In most mosques, the head of maintenance section or committee is called waliyy(guardian). He takes care of the mosque and gives directives to members of his group t ensure that the mosque is cleaned always (Ali, M.M. 1986). This is done by ensuring that there is adequate supply of water for ritual bath and ablution; maintenance of all sanitary wares and makes corrections to any defective part of the building. Absence of waliyy in mosque is mostly felt in the manner in which mosque maintenance is kept. Most mosque with exception of few such as national mosque where government take absolute responsibility for their requirement, do not consider having waliyy.Maintenance of mosques is however, left for anyone that wishes to do the work for Allah’s sake.
SOURCES OF FUND FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF MOSQUE
According to Quraishi, M.T (1984), there are many legally permissible ways by which funds can begenerated for the maintenance of the mosque in Islam. One of suchways, which Islam duly recognized is Waqf, an endowment of propertyfor the maintenance of the mosque. As an example, Ibn Tulūn was saidto have constituted a large number of houses as endowment for hismosque and hospital. This endowment covered those for the salaries ofmosque officials, for teachers' quarters, for the support of visitors, andfor feeding, among others. Another method is the direct maintenance ofthe mosque by wealthy men who in most cases are builders of suchmosque.In an Islamic state, some mosques may be under the patronage of thegovernment and put under the care of a special ministry (Yusuf, T & Abdur Rahim, L. 2004).In this part of the world, special donations and periodic contributions arethe means by which many mosques are being maintained. Launchingprogrammes, appeal funds and other collections from occasions areother means of generating money for the maintenance of the mosque.
CAUSES OF LACK OF MAINTENANCE OF MOSQUE BUILDINGS
Today, there are so many problems responsible for deterioration in mosque buildings. According to Aradeon (1996), he enlisted some of these problems responsible for lack of maintenance to include unskilled professionals and lack of dedication on the part of the users. The two major problems revealed by this study are finance and lack of dedication. The repair costs for defective parts of mosques are often beyond available fund.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Most mosque buildings in Nigeria lack adequate maintenance upkeep. Muslims generally are quick to erect mosques without giving adequate attention to its continuous maintenance. As a result, most mosques ended up becoming deteriorating over time with poor finishing, cracking walls and failing decorations among others. This however, cannot be ignored and hence the need to evaluate the factors affecting maintenance of mosque building in Osun state using appropriate with a probable solutions to prevent poor maintenance practice.
AIM OF THE STUDY
To find out the factors affecting maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, Osun state with a view to identifying major maintenance problems and seeking appropriate solutions to them.This is achieved by examining the physical state of mosque buildings, and by determining various factors affecting maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, Osun state.
METHODOLOGY
In order to examine the lack of maintenance of mosque buildings in Osogbo, a list of both the public and private central mosques were surveyed. Simple random sampling method was adopted to allow for equal chances among all the mosques selected. Study population for this research comprises of mosque executive committees and users.Two sets of questionnaires were – Category A and Category B were structured for both the mosque executive committees and users respectively to obtain relevant primary data. A total of 10out of 18 central mosques were selected for this research work. Each selected mosque received a total of 8 questionnaires; four (4) questionnaires were directed to executive committees and four (4) to mosque users in each mosque under study making a total of 80 questionnaires. However, a total of 40 questionnaires were completed and are used for data analysis. The secondary data were oral interviews and discussions,internet findings, journals, related books and photographs.
CONCLUSIONS
All buildings irrespective of the type require maintenance if it must stand the test of time and also contribute meaningfully to economic development. Mosquebuildings are not left out of this. The study revealed that the major factors causing poor maintenance in mosques surveyed are lack of funds and dedication on the part of its custodians. Majority of the mosques provide budget for maintenance works but are often found grossly inadequate.And where money is found adequate it is mostly mismanaged.This unpardonable attitude affects all aspects of our national endeavours .The study also revealed that the absence of maintenance officer(s) waliyycontributes greatly to poor maintenance practice found in mosques surveyed. Relying on congregation who only comes in when it is salat period to make good any defective part of the building is not a good practice.