Time is one of the negative choices and attitudes that has been adopted in this part of the world, is the notion of “African Time”. Basically, time is a global phenomenon. This must be so because there is no culture, occupation, age or activity in which time has no reference, the entire way of our social, economic and political life tends to be pitched against time.
In both our private and public life endeavours, people are racing with time, and one of the critical factors for managerial effectiveness in all organizations is time. In its “hours” dimension, time gives us a sense of progression, sequence and pace. It is consistent, reliable, regulatory, a pace-setter and is never-ending. It does not stop for any person, and no person can hasten it.
Time cannot be bought or given by any person. Thus, since time yields to nobody, it follows that all that has to be done is to collect its output, adjust to it, and pace activities accordingly.
From economic point of view, time is money. This is particularly true in terms of lost sales, lost customers, lost opportunities and wasted materials occasioned by inability to meet time schedule.
From the communication angle, people’s perception of time and the meaning they give to the use of time communicate to others.
Viewed against these basic dimensions of time and their implication in social, economic and political activities, it is saddening that most citizens are scheduling and conducting activities on the basic of African Time notion.
The belief in African Time tends to make people go late for meetings, appointments and other scheduled occasions, even very important personalities deliberately arrive for events behind schedule as a show of status in the society.
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To many, time commitment is only desirable, but never a binding promise. Many of those who go to events late rather console themselves with the old saying, “Better Late than Never!” Of course, this is far from being encouraging.
One can say that the notion of African Time and the meanings people attach to the use of time, has affected society adversely in several ways. For one, the negative orientation to time tends to portray people as lazy, disorganized, indiscipline, irresponsible and care less.
In fact, most of the abandoned projects across the country can be traced to the careless approach to the time factor in projects evaluation and control. Many business opportunities are lost just because people arrive behind schedules for such transactions.
In time conscious societies, the time required for effective decision-making is proportional to the importance of such decisions.
It is observable that critical decisions on national issues are delayed until the issues involved are overtaken by events, at times, very ugly ones.
So, it is important you check your time now and move along with it.
Remember, time waits for no one.
