Is it "African Time" or "Selective
Punctuality?"
Bedford Nwabueze Umez, Ph.D. *
Of the things that trouble me a great deal about some of my people,
Nigerians/Africans, especially the "educated" ones, is their inability and
unwillingness to treat their fellow Nigerians/Africans as nicely as they treat
those who are not Nigerians/Africans. This is very troubling. Though the
robbery of Nigerians by most of their "educated" leaders only to deposit the
loot in foreign countries is an excellent example of this abnormal, shocking
behavior, I have chosen, in this article, the bizarre practice called "African
time" to prove my point.
What is "African Time?"
It is well known (among Nigerians/Africans) that the invitation card of a
typical Nigerian event (be it wedding, conference, meeting, fund raising or
party) normally starts very late. It is common to witness a Saturday event,
scheduled for "9:00 p.m. prompt," starting with the calling of Drs., Sirs,
Chiefs, Alhajis, etc., to the "High Table," around 12:30 a.m., the next day,
Sunday, especially among Nigerians in Houston. Consequently, a meeting that
will take two hours ends up taking half a day or more. We are now familiar
with the first opening remarks by the MC/Moderator, which goes like this:
"Good evening or Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. We are running a little
bit late; please bear with us."
"African time" has become so annoying and embarrassing to the point that some
Nigerians (in Houston) now provide two invitation cards, either formally or
informally: one for Nigerians/Africans and the other for Americans. The one
for Nigerians/Africans would indicate that the event would start about two
hours before the actual time, while the one for Americans would indicate the
exact time the event is supposed to start. Why? According to one Nigerian,
"they want to make some provision for 'African time,' and avoid annoying and
embarrassing Americans." [Probably, in their minds, it is OK to annoy and
embarrass their fellow Nigerians/Africans who are punctual. "Na waa!"
Inferiority complex is yet to leave a lot of my people alone.]
The above illustration defines what some people call "African time," i.e., the
perpetual, habitual tardiness within the Nigerian/African communities, be it
at home, Nigeria/Africa or abroad.
While some of us have accepted the above definition of "African time" hook,
line and sinker, I do not. To me, "African time" is not African time; it is
"selective punctuality/commitment," pure and simple. What is happening right
now is that "selective punctuality/commitment" is being disguised as "African
time" (just as the stupidity of robbing Nigeria by most of her leaders only to
feed, say, Swiss people has been disguised as personal greed). Put
differently, Nigerians/Africans are not habitual late-comers because those
same Nigerians/Africans who attend Nigerian/African conferences, meetings,
etc., late or any time they want, in the name of "African time," actually
attend conferences or meetings called by non-Africans/Nigerians on time.
Any one who knows Nigerians/Africans, knows that "selective
punctuality/commitment" is an indisputable fact of life within
Nigerian/African communities. As such, I now turn to the real driving force
behind "selective punctuality/commitment."
"Selective Punctuality/Commitment" and Inferiority Complex
The real driving force behind "selective punctuality/commitment" within
Nigerian/African communities is inferiority complex. This complex has
distorted the thinking faculties of so many Nigerians/Africans to the point
that it has become so normal for them to disrespect, degrade, cajole and
disregard their own people of Nigeria/Africa WITHOUT even knowing it.
Consequently, they see nothing wrong in attending meetings and conferences
called by non-Nigerians/Africans on time only to attend those of
Nigeria/Africa very late. Similarly, they see nothing odd in running the
affairs of non-Africans in an orderly fashion only to run those of
Nigeria/Africa lackadaisically.
There is no doubt that the damage inferiority complex has caused (and
continues to cause) in Nigeria/Africa is very alarming. In fact, the damage
sometimes appears shamefully irreparable, especially when one realizes that
inferiority complex affects so many "educated" Nigerians/Africans who have
learned absolutely no single useful lesson from slavery, colonialism and
exploitation of Africa. In fact, those in my camp doubt seriously whether they
will ever learn anything useful because (as it is widely known) they DO NOT
read; books intimidate them; they operate in complete darkness!
Be the situation as it may, I am still earnestly praying that sooner (not
later), we all will see clearly the bitter truth emanating from "selective
punctuality/commitment," namely, the obvious truth that so many African minds
urgently need liberation from the shackles of inferiority complex, mental
slavery and colonialism. Specifically, it is my fervent prayer that sooner
than later we all will reach the same conclusion with Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, Franz
Fanon and Stephen Bantu Biko that some African minds must be "decolonized,"
because as Franz Fanon wisely and poignantly observed, "The colonized man will
first manifest an aggression which has been deposited in his bones against his
own people." Yes, you read it right, "against his own people." It is so true!
My fellow Africans, decolonizing/liberating African minds is so necessary that
if I have my way, it must be a part and parcel of school curriculum (from High
School to University) in Nigeria and Africa. We must eradicate "selective
punctuality/commitment" in our midst if we EVER plan to move ahead.
Eradicating "African time" -- the "Selective Punctuality/Commitment"
"Selective punctuality/commitment" must stop. Inferiority complex must be
buried 9 feet deeper. Why? Because not only that the robbery of Nigeria/Africa
by most of its "leaders" only to deposit the loot in foreign countries
constitute the ultimate display of inferiority complex, "selective
punctuality/commitment" is also a major consequence of inferiority complex.
Accordingly, we must eradicate "selective punctuality/commitment" in our
midst. We must respect our own people the way we respect others. We must run
our affairs the way we run those owned by non-Africans/Nigerians, and if one
really thinks about it, Africa is not asking too much from us.
To eradicate "selective punctuality/commitment," we must constantly ask and
provide objective answers to the following interrelated questions:
What does "selective punctuality/commitment" say about my education? What does
"selective punctuality/commitment" say about my degrees, my certificates and
titles? What is the use of my education when my own people cannot even benefit
from it? Why should I attend meetings and conferences called by
non-Nigerians/Africans on a timely manner only to turn around and attend those
called by my own people [of Nigeria/Africa] late or any time I want? Why
should I disrespect myself and my own people only to respect others? Can any
one really respect me if I do not respect myself? Why should I practice
"selective punctuality/commitment" to my own destruction? Why should I
constitute an instrument of my own downfall? Why should I apply my knowledge
that "time is money" and "punctuality is the soul of business" only to others
and not to myself and my own people? Why should I wash my hands only to crack
a nut for a rooster?
My brethren, it is my firm belief that objective answers to the above
questions will end, once and for all, "selective punctuality/commitment" which
some people mistakenly call "African time." Once "selective
punctuality/commitment" is eradicated; once African minds are truly
liberated/decolonized, our progress and development will have no bound. PEACE!
________________
*Note: Dr. Umez is a Professor of Government, Lee College, Baytown,
Texas, and University of Phoenix, Houston Campus. He is the founder of
Liberating the African mind, LAM, and Nigerian Leadership Council, NLC. His
latest books include, Nigeria: Real Problems, Real Solutions, "Educated" to
Feel Inferior, The Tragedy of a Value System in Nigeria: Theories and
Solutions, and Your Excellency. These books can be assessed from his web site,
www.umez.com or
www.lee.edu/~bumez.
