Appraising sustainable and resilient physical infrastructure facilities in higher education institutions: the role of smart maintenance management

Purpose Infrastructural facilities, including higher education institutions (HEIs), are capital-intensive and require inclusive maintenance. In many developing countries, the maintenance is underfunded. This creates a challenging situation and puts pressure on the HEIs’ insufficient facilities in Nigeria. A modernised (smart) maintenance operation with pervasive digital technologies may enhance HEIs’ physical infrastructure facilities. Studies regarding how the smart maintenance management (SMM) role can enhance sustainable and resilient HEIs physical infrastructure facilities are scarce. Thus, this study aims to investigate the role of SMM and proffered measures to improve its application in Nigeria’s HEIs physical infrastructure facilities. Design/methodology/approach The researchers adopted a qualitative method and collected data using observation of existing infrastructure and oral interviews across Nigeria. At least two HEIs were chosen from each zone for a good representation. Saturation was accomplished at the 25th interviewee. Also, the researchers manually adopted a thematic analysis and presented the main findings in themes. Findings Findings reveal that SMM is a key aspect of Industry 4.0, and its relevance to HEIs infrastructure facilities cannot be overemphasised regarding resilience and sustainability. The absence of regulation/standards, maintenance expertise in smart infrastructure facilities, low maintenance budget, the fear of skill-biased technological change, the perceived maintenance cost and occupant behaviour/resistance to change emerged as the major challenges facing SMM implementation in public HEIs. The research proffers recommendations based on these results. Originality/value This study intends to reawaken policymakers to appraise the use of Internet of Things embedded in buildings to improve predictive maintenance in HEI infrastructure facilities. If fully embraced, the outcome will enhance the resilience and sustainability of infrastructure systems, including HEIs.