By P.J Gwumapan, Co-Founder Dr. Ladi Kwali Foundation
The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, NIQS, revealed the existence of 56,000 abandoned building projects in August 2021, estimating the cost at N12 trillion Naira. ~ Vanguard It is disheartening to see how public organizations in Nigeria that are controlled by the government, even at the federal level, end up littered, unproductive, a waste, and abandoned. The maintenance culture in Nigeria’s public infrastructure is discouraging. Over the years, the Nigerian government has launched a number of commendable projects that make one proud to be a Nigerian. Most government infrastructure, having been built and designed to serve their immediate purpose of political eye service, ends up being abandoned, forgotten, and, at best, given very little attention over time, leading to poor maintenance and management and, eventually, deterioration and collapse. The deplorable state of once-laudable projects such as the National Stadium, Universities, hospitals, and refineries, among others, continue to pose a threat to Nigeria’s socio-economic and infrastructure advancement. Visual artists are increasingly finding inspiration in old and abandoned industrial buildings. They produce genuine works of art, a kind of idealized and undoubtedly more interesting vision of reality.
