Jigawa signs into effect O&M model for CRIBS in PHCs, primary schools

From Scholastica Hir, Makurdi

Operation and Maintenance (O&M) model for primary healthcare centrs (PHCs) and primary schools, the first of its kind, has come into effect in Jigawa State. Secretary to Government of Jigawa State, Malam Bala Ibrahim, signed into effect the O&M model for PHCs and primary schools on April 25, 2025, in Dutse.

The O&M model focuses on ensuring functionality and sustainability of critical infrastructures in PHCs and primary schools, to enable them withstand climate-related stresses and provide uninterrupted services.

While signing the O&M model, the SSG noted that “the lack of O&M has affected infrastructures and constituted barriers to accessing PHCs and primary schools services for many people in the state.”

Our correspondent reports that stakeholders developed the Jigawa State O&M model for PHCs and primary schools, supported by UNICEF’s Climate Resilience Infrastructure for Basic Service (CRIBS), a project funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office of the UK Government (FCDO).

Stakeholders in PHCs and primary schools held consultations at facility level, local government level and state level to assess key factors affecting O&M relating to financing, institutions, environmental, technical and social aspects.

The outcome of consultations was the O&M report, which contained the doctrine informing O&M in PHC and primary schools, institutional arrangement for managing O&M, financing avenues and responsibilities to carry out by stakeholders at all levels in order to ensure that these facilities are maintained.

In practice, the model requires all PHCs and primary schools to develop their annual operational plans, which will show all operation and maintenance activities, the responsible persons, accountable persons, who is funding and sources of funding for each activity.

In terms of institutional arrangement, the O&M model shares the responsibility to operate and maintain PHCs and primary schools between the host communities, the PHC or primary school, the local government councils and the state government.

These stakeholders jointly sign the annual operational plan collated from all PHCs and primary schools and contribute their share of funding for executing the outlined O&M activities in the plan.

Furthermore, the O&M model allows for the execution of O&M tasks through public-private-community partnership (PPCP).

Whereas, PHCs and orimary schools fulfil their O&M tasks by maintaining operational agreements between communities, the facilities and private attendants, the local government and the state fulfil their maintenance responsibilities through an agreement with a private maintenance partner.

A striking feature of the Jigawa State sustainable O&M model is that the funding needs are determined and sources of funds earmarked. Each stakeholder is aware of their responsibilities through the jointly signed operational plans and the communities provide oversight monitoring and voice concerns through the SBMC and WDCs.

The Jigawa State sustainable O&M model will address many barriers to services, which people faced due to lack of operations and maintenance. In PHCs, beds are put away whenever fastening nuts worn-out, PHC bed capacity continuously decline. Many women abandoned PHCs due to unkempt toilets and poor hygiene.

In primary schools, pupils faced challenges, learning in classrooms that have cracked walls and floors as building-foundations become washed-off by erosion. Roofs leakages witnessed during raining season are simply because leaves from untrimmed trees rot on roofs top. Most classrooms are empty of desk as worn-out desk are not fixed, among other challenges.

This report, in effect, is a guideline for sustainable operation and maintenance in PHCs and primary schools. It will remain the guiding document to address O&M challenges until replaced by a state O&M policy.

The Jigawa State initiative to implement a sustainable operation and maintenance model for PHCs and primary schools came under the UNICEF-FCDO CRIBS Project (climate resilient infrastructure for basic services). UNICEF Nigeria is supporting Jigawa State to implement the project, which has funding from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

Over 80 PHCs and primary schools are benefiting from CRIBS project across two states namely; Jigawa and Kano with comprehensive renovations and O&M system strengthening.

Jigawa State has taken the lead in formally signing into effect a guiding document for O&M in PHCs and primary schools, thereby providing a policy pathway to scaling up implementation of the CRIBS O&M model across the state.

Sustainable O&M model in PHCs and primary schools will save Jigawa State billions of Naira worth of investment in reconstructing dilapidated facilities.

Often, the state is required to re-construct PHCs and primary school facilities that become dilapidated due to lack of O&M, whereas, such monies would have been invested in providing additional PHCs and primary schools in locations that are still lacking.

This O&M awakening will make it possible for Jigawa State’s investment in PHC and primary schools to become incremental, leading to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for primary health and primary education.

Jigawa State will not achieve its SDG targets for universal primary education and universal primary health if the state does not take O&M seriously.