NA WA FOR AFRICAN TIME!! BY AFRICAN PEOPLE BUT DISPLAYED BY NIGERIANS.

    

  By: Ada

Lord have mercy!!! God please I really don’t want to be late for this meeting. Why did I not wake up on earlier? I should have just done the right thing by sleeping early. Now just see the way am driving like a mad man holding the wheels. Lord please take this wheel. If am late for this meeting on the island my boss will really be mad at me.

Pin-pin-pin(car horn)—this guy in front should drive faster now, what kind of rubbish is this, abeg oga(please sir) move your vehicle "jor"(!). Imagine driving from the mainland to the island and 3^rd mainland bridge is completely blocked!!! Well I guess am stock here for the next 30 minutes and it’s already 7:30 am. “Lord if you make me early for this meeting, I promise to preach to my neighbours for the next two months.” Even as I get to the venue of the meeting in Ikoyi my heart keeps beating faster and then my boss calls, Alex where are you? Sir am at the venue of the meeting, ok I am still on the way, I need to get to the office first, I left most of the documents for the conference in the office. Ok sir I will tell the organizers.

As I entered the venue, lo and behold, the venue which I thought will be half full was half empty. Just imagine!!! Am right on schedule, my Oga is not here and neither are the dignitaries. I honestly feel so frustrated and annoyed. Its 9:00 am and people are not still strolling in, just imagine the nonsense. I would have left my house at my own time.

Why do NIGERIAS love AFRICAN TIME? Is it a norm? Has it been inculcated in our culture? What lead to this rubbish behavior? Why will a program fixed for 8:00am and at 9:00am you see people strolling in and smiling, the only people that always come early for events are the coordinators and the “oyinbo people”(foreigners).

If you studied abroad, you cannot be late for  lectures  and if you have  a meeting you have to be there 10 minutes earlier than the time stipulated. I guess that culture has eaten deep into me and I am definitely keeping it.

It was actually a slap on the face if you were late for any meeting abroad, it is even better you don’t come for the event or better still call on the phone and tell the person that you will be coming late for the meeting. But trust my NAIJA people they cannot be one bit bothered, I guess most Nigerians see it as a thing of class, pride, status and special but I personally feel it’s totally foolish.

 I can remember a close friend telling me of a training he had to organize with his Lecturer while in the University in the United Kingdom for his master program. A numbers of officials from Nigeria were to participate, the time of the training was actually slated for 8:00 am, my friend Ugo was already at the venue at 7:00 am soon after the lecturer walked in, he mentioned how excited he was, at least he could learn a thing or two. At 7:30 the Lecturer was eager and decided to take a cup of coffee while he waited for the Nigeria team.

 The slides were on, lecture notes on the table but no one was at the venue. At about 8:00am “Ugo do you think they will come for the training?” “Yes Sam they will”. He responded with a smile but he knew they will not be there early but he thought they will at least change their normal Naija style.

 At 9.00 am no one was still there, Sam was really angry “Ugo are you really sure they are going to come”? “Yes they will”. Lo and behold they started strolling in  at 10:00am. Mr. Sam was so furious he could not believe they would arrive that late. The worst part was that they came in smiling like nothing happened. To worsen the entire issue they were requesting for tea and coffee, can you imagine the rubbish.

 Although Ugo was not shocked he was a little embarrassed. Mr. Sam had something extra he wanted to give them for attending the training but when he disclosed that he will no long give them the gift, they simply replied “you can keep your gift we are not  interested, we are even the ones doing you a favour. Imagine how shocked the lecturer was.

Nigerians when will you change? Why will people not simply apologies when they are late for an important meeting and drop the pride outside the room. There are certain things you see people do and you just wonder what kind of behavior is being displayed. NA WA FOR AFRICAN TIME!! BY AFRICAN PEOPLE BUT DISPLAYED BY NIGERIANS.

……My boss just walked in I’ve got to go byeeeeeeee.

Photo Credit: funnycollectionworld.blogspot.com