I know how frustrating it is to arrive on time for a meeting and having to wait many more minutes for the other party to arrive. Over the years this tardy culture of lateness has been ingrained in our system and passed on from one generation to another and is now a tradition.
African time simply means the lackadaisical attitude given to time and punctuality and the idea that life must stand still until the African boy, man, woman, girl is ready to live it. I remember going for an event that was scheduled at 12 noon. I got there a few minutes after 12, to my surprise and confusion, I met just about five people arranging the hall, I waited and watched while they set up the stage and decorated the hall until the event finally started at three pm . My punctuality must have struck them as strange because every time I looked up from my phone I would catch their eyes glaring at me in awe.
This disregard for time portrays our ineptitude, lack of efficiency and majorly affects our productivity. Studies conducted by the world economic and survey body shows that Nigeria has the second highest man-hour loss in government official transaction. Time is money and the fact that we have grown comfortable with a lazy attitude to time greatly contrasts our yearnings and wants for development.
In Nigeria, and other parts of Africa, the implications of time wasting can never be overemphasized, we are known to always have a string of tasks at every point in time and using our emotions to gauge time, this has caused us a severe loss of useful man hour productivity, compared to the westerners and their mechanical time consciousness.
Lateness is Nigeria and many parts of Africa has eaten deep into the fabrics of our society as people strategically decide how not to be punctual to classes, events, meetings, parties and even their own weddings for a number of trivial reasons.
“I’m sure the others wouldn’t arrive on time and I do not like to sit and wait, I’ll rather beat them in the lateness and have them wait for me” Lolade Ajala.
“It is percieved as style, the creme de la creme and dignitaries never arrive on time, i think it gives people the impression you are very busy if you never arrive on time ” Toyosi Pratt.
“Many nigerians do not know the value of time as they are not paid by the hour, in countries like America where they give wages by the hour, people are on time because physical cash has been closely associated with time” Mr Martins.
“From our unpredictable traffic situation, bad roads to numerous road safety workers, LASTMA and the Police we have enough reasons to be late” Nnamdi Ekele.
“Africans mismanage resources. Time is no exception, they often take it as if it is renewable and they really don’t know the value of time” Ese Ali.
“It’s a sad world where people tell you ‘in the next five minutes’ and it takes hours to happen….. Nothing ever starts on time. Despite the influx of religion, there is no integrity and we lack the basic love and respect for each other” Alice Osagie.
Keep a daily planner, consider traffic and other unexpected occurrences and set your personal time five or ten minutes forward. Mean what you say and say only what you mean.
Beyond all the wristwatches we would ever own, I cry out that the good value of punctuality should be instilled in our children, family, and society. Let’s us as Nigerians move on when the time is right, no stopping, no waiting.
