“Making a Wrong Turn the Right”

Seyi (fictional name) was at a point you would refer to as mid-life crisis, where she was unsure what path to follow. She was losing hope and wishing she had followed any kind of advice when she graduated from the university, but there was no one she could turn to for such advice. This was not because she didn’t have family who were making a good life for themselves, but because none of them would care to offer such advice because they believed they had no time for each other as a family. There is no bond that brings them together. They all believed they were in competition amongst themselves, and none was willing to show the other the path of lesser troubles.

As the cliché goes, there is light at the end of the tunnel and the ray of hope brought smile to her heart. At this point, she enrolled for a master’s program at the university and to deepen her knowledge in the program, she took advantage of the opportunity to attend a seminar. She was neatly dressed and upon completing the attendance registration at the front desk, one of the organizers approached her and asked if she would be kind enough to fill a role as the MC for the event. She was perplexed, her heart racing almost out of her chest, you could literally hear her heartbeat racing. Just as she was about to turn down the offer, a colleague of hers called her and responding to the call of her colleague she answered, yes? Unknown to the organizer that the response was not to him, he handed over the information the MC was to have for the event and coincidentally, the president of the group entered and the organizer introduced her to the president to have accepted the role of the MC.

She had only seen MC at different events she had attended but she knew there was more to just the outward show at those events and she took some time to watch a video on how to be the MC of an event. The rest is history thanks to #Devon Brown on ‘15 tips to being a great MC’.

This is somewhat similar to my story and path to be a vital part of the AFMPN. I count this a privilege and honor and once again to participate in the 2024 annual conference of the Association of Facility Management Practitioners of Nigeria.

This year, our theme is “THE MAINTENANCE ECONOMY AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: THE ROLE OF FACILITY MANAGEMENT” and all are invited, though registration is required. However, how can we know what to expect from the industry experts that would be sharing their wealth of knowledge? So I thought to drop this little insight as a teaser of what to expect.

“In today's rapidly urbanizing world, the built environment plays a crucial role in shaping the lives of individuals and communities. As cities expand and infrastructure becomes more complex, the need for maintaining these structures cannot be overstated. This is where the concept of the maintenance economy comes into play, with facility management at its core. The maintenance economy revolves around continuous upkeep, repair, and optimization of buildings and infrastructure, which are vital to ensuring their longevity, safety, and efficiency. Facility management serves as the linchpin in this economy, ensuring that the built environment remains functional, sustainable, and resilient”.

If you’d be making this event either physically or virtually, share with us your expectations especially on how you believe this event will change the course of the maintenance industry. Remember, you will be meeting with experts and if you had an opportunity to have a round table discussion with any of the speakers, what would you wish they share with you to improve your professional career path? It will be a lifetime networking opportunity you don’t want to miss.

#AFMPN

#NIESV

#ABUJA

#NIGERIA