Environmental Factors Threatening the Survival of Heritage Buildings in Nigeria

Nigeria has been blessed with a rich legacy of buildings with high historical and architectural values that provide a sense of identity and continuity for future generations. Over the years, researchers in heritage conservation have paid little attention to the environmental factors that threaten the existence of heritage buildings in Nigeria. Much of the research works on Nigeria’s heritage buildings focus on the deterioration state of the buildings and the urgent need for their conservation. Environmental factors have continued to threaten the survival of heritage buildings in Nigeria. This paper is aimed at identifying the key environmental factors that threaten the survival of heritage buildings in northern Nigeria. The empirical base for this study is pivoted on questionnaire survey administered to selected experts from the built environment, curators and end-users of heritage buildings from Northern Nigeria. Respondents were asked to rate the extent to which the pre-determined environmental factors threaten the existence of heritage buildings in their respective regions. The data collected were analyzed to determine the respondents’ ranking of these factors using the Relative Importance Index. Also, Kendall’s Test of Concordance was carried out using SPSS to test the agreement in the rankings of the respondents. It was found out that Flood, Fire, Urban Development and Biological Agencies were ranked among the most significant factors identified by both categories of respondents while Air Pollutants, Temperature and Vandalization ranked among the least significant factors hindering the existence of heritage buildings in Northern Nigeria. It was also found out that there is concordance between all the rankings for some nine factors and the agreement between the two rankings is perfect indicating that the respondents have been unanimous. The findings of this paper would serve as a step in the right direction in developing a comprehensive conservation plan for preserving the cultural significance of heritage buildings in northern Nigeria.