Nigeria is suffering from an epidemic that it doesn’t have a vaccine. To date, no known researchers are trying to find a cure, but the outbreak is rampant and unavoidable. Surprisingly, the ailment has a comprehensive Wikipedia page, legitimizing it as an acknowledged phenomenon. The case is known as African Time or more specifically, Nigerian Time. No one has reported any deaths resulting directly from African Time, but thousands of people report headaches, delays, missed opportunities and schedule changes daily.
African Time is the tendency to a relaxed, indifferent attitude towards time and starting events or arriving at meetings/classes/parties at their scheduled times. It is the acceptance that nothing will start at the absolute time indicated on the schedule. It is holding a University class for 10 a.m. and the professor repeatedly showing up at 10:15. It is going to see a play at the theater that says 7 p.m. on the ticket, and characters take the stage at 7:30. You will never see an event in Nigeria that starts at 9:15 or 5:45, none of those odd number times. Events are scheduled on the hour because it is simply understood that the chance of people arriving exactly 15 minutes past nine is miniscule. People indicate start times on posters or invitations a full hour before they intend to really start anticipating people will be that late. You frequently see “6 p.m. prompt” on invitations- a valiant effort to curb the tardiness. Ironically, Nigerians love watches. Boys are always walking through traffic selling sleek knock-off watches, but apparently the time pieces don’t serve such a practical purpose. Not every institution or person runs on this leisurely clock, but it is clearly visible everyday and sometimes inevitable because of society here.
Africans are not always to blame for showing up 30 minutes late to the group meeting. Sometimes there are good excuses out of a person’s control: public transportation is one of them. The chaotic route of mini-busses (danfos) and motorbikes (okadas) that constitutes public transportation does not operate on a schedule. You cannot go to http://www.Danfo.com and see a to-the-minute schedule of when a certain danfo will be arriving at a given bus stop. You go to the bus stop, or the side of the road and wait until you see one of those dilapidated white busses zip by. (For the speed racer way the bus, taxi and okada drivers drive you should think Nigerians would be on time for everything. One of the ironies of African Time.) Traffic poses another problem. Unexpected stand still traffic jams caused by trucks that break down in the middle of the road are frequent. I have learned that the term ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) does not work here because anything could happen on the way and we don’t have the luxury of continual traffic updates to keep us privy to road blocks. Then there is the problem of constantly losing electricity that puts a damper on plans overall.
In the U.S. and many other countries, we live our lives by the hands on the clock. They tell us when we are busy and when we are free, when we need to be somewhere and when we can leave. In Nigeria, time adapts to the situation. If Yoruba class is scheduled for 3 p.m. and there is a massive rain fall at 2:50 p.m., you can be sure no students will show up on time. The tricky thing about African Time is you know it will be late, but you don’t know exactly how late. 10 minutes? 20? 40? It can be a very problematic guessing game sometimes.
The U.S. has it’s mini-version of African Time, we call it being “fashionably late,” but it applies strictly to parties. It’s common knowledge that it is not cool to be the first one at a party. But if you showed up to a meeting at your workplace 20 minutes after it stared and said, “I am just running fashionably late,” your co-workers would look at you like a crazy person. In Nigeria, if you arrive at the meeting 20 minutes after the scheduled start time, it is likely it still won’t have started.
[…] blogger has something to say about African Time and her experience in Nigeria in her post “What time is it? Who cares, it’s African time“. There’s even a movie called African Time, one that was put out just last year. […]
well said Adetunmbi Oluyede and Ooshak. Will only tell cara that this doesnt look like north lagos. looks more like some remote part in ibadan.
OMG, LWKMD! This is soo funny because it’s true.
Well put.
I’ve lived in the US for over 10years yet I am plagued with “African tardiness”.
Could it be genetic??
Abeg, what is this rubbish? I don’t see a need to conform to Western notions of time in social situations. This notion that our sense of time needs to be cured because it doesn’t mesh with the Western world is ridiculous. That is what’s plaguing Nigeria. It’s this need to compare and devalue our culture because some Westerner has told you that’s not how it’s done. One day it is time. Next it’s how we dey dress. Next is how you dey move your mouth. Next you no like skin and you go find bleach. What now?
Nigerian time tends to play out more for social gatherings, which is fine. Some Asian cultures operate with similar loose boundaries on time. Is anyone asking for their cure? I’ll echo ooshak’s findings or sentiments. If you like, come. If you no like, don’t come. No shakin.
There is nothing wrong in immitating d good side of the whites,stop running ur mouth about,u dat if tinx are not branded”foreign”u will not buy,am a girl with ego not pride,let’s b time-conscious as some of our white brothers
Hi Cara,
You are absolutely right about African/Nigerian time syndrome and you also rightly point out some of the reasons or rationale for the lateness.
However, this also exists in the African American community here in the states. It is know affectionately by some in the community as CP time (colored People time).
It would be interesting to do some kind of study or research on the parallels between the two. I have also had the same experiences of the phenomenon of African time several times here in the states among the African American community.
I have had several incidents with my African American friends or acquaintances that mirror the experiences you described in Nigeria.
I appreciate your blog and keep up the good work. I would encourage you to visit Lagos and Abuja (if you haven’t already), it would help in your study of the culture of the country.
bahha even in the US, nigerians arrive “fashionably late” to everything!! tahts why at parties and events hosted by my parents, they write “no african time” haha
Yup! One time, my mom had a meeting by 10:00a, she did not leave the house till 11:45a, this is not even taking into account the traffic on that Lekki road.
I was just laughing my head off but that’s Nigerians for you
It is a high level of indiscipline and it is costing Nigeria a lot. Unfortunately, it has not been quantified.
As you rightly said, no one has done the study to find out the true cost of our collective chronic lateness as a nation. I will make a guess that is right up there with the cost of corruption.
Lateness to functions is a chronic disease and it needs to be addressed and the first step is by talking about it and for individuals to check if he or she has been “infected”.
The cure is very simple, by resolving not to be late even everyone is late.
Thanks for your blog.
NB
Could you find time to educate us on the state of library and internet access on the UI Campus?
George, I will look into the library and internet access. Thanks for your comment!
George did you say indiscipline? I think your taking tardiness a bit far. There is something positive about having a laid back environment.
We shouldn’t be quick to imitate or apply everything the west is doing to our situation.
Ade,
Tardiness is a form of indiscipline. We have to be very conscious of time, it makes a lot of difference on our wellbeing. The point is that we should all strive to be on time. It makes a functional society. Have you had phrase time is of essence?
I cannot argue with you, Nigeria is a free country and each of us have 24 hours. You don’t want to run on time deficit because there is no bank to borrow from to catch up.
It applies to me too.
George
George, stop looking at time from a Western perspective. While I can’t fault you too much, because in a lot of ways we are on THEIR time. When they sneeze your ass squeezes.
For that reason I won’t go ahead and say it’s a form of indiscipline. They take time seriously, we don’t. Whats’ the big deal? Compare them to the Japanese/Asians and they come up terribly short. Does that make Westerners indiscipline?
Is there some virtue to being on time. Yes. But I won’t go as far and say people are indiscipline because they don’t take time seriously as others.
There is a tribe(I forgot who they are), when they say goodbye to one another with a promise to visit later/another day. It could be days, weeks, months or years before they see one another again. Are they indiscipline because they don’t have the concept of time like you, I or others have? I suspect Africans before colonialism had a similar attitude. I view tardiness as one of the many vestiges of our culture that we are trying to shed for a new one.
The deal is to do what works for you culturally.
I hope I made any sense.
Mr Ade, there’s nothing cultural about being late. If an Igwe or Oba(these are our cradles of tradition right) invites you for a meeting at 2pm, I am sure you will not be culturally late. You will make all efforts to be there on time. Even a little earlier than 2pm because 1)it is a sign of respect, 2)because you dont keep your elders waiting when they summon you 3) because the summon is probably beneficial to you. That Oga is the crux of the myth called African time. Is the event/person summoning important enough/beneficial enough, there will be no African time!!
This is Nigeria for you but I remember lectures used to be on time when I was I UI in the early nineties.
Our lecturers like Prof Desalu of Anatomy dept, Prof Bolarinwa of Physiology would even come before time and start class on the dot of 8am and you dare not come in after class has started and also in UCH timekeeping was good……..or was the colllege of medicine different?
Things have changed now sir. In UCH, some lecturers are dedicated to teaching while some lecturers come at will or might even cancel the lecture for that day. Recently, UCH introduced ‘evaluation form’ for student to assess the process of lecturing… it is not surprising that the first assessment is the time for set up and the time lectures started.
WAWA! West Africa Wins Again!
I’m guilty 🙂
From “The Shadow of the Sun” by Polish writer, Ryszard Kapuscinski: “The European and the African have an entirely different concept of time. In the European worldview, time exists outside man, exists objectively, and has measurable and linear characteristics. According to Newton, time is absolute: “Absolute, true, mathematical time of itself and from its own nature, it flows equably and without relation to anything external.” The European feels himself to be time’s slave, dependent on it, subject to it. To exist and function, he must observe its ironclad, inviolate laws, its inflexible principles and rules. He must heed deadlines, dates, days, and hours. He moves within the rigors of time and cannot exist outside them. They impose upon him their requirements and quotas. An unresolvable conflict exists between man and time, one that always ends with man’s defeat —time annihilates him.
Africans apprehend time differently. For them, it is a much looser concept, more open, elastic, subjective. It is man who influences time, its shape, course, and rhythm (man acting, of course, with the consent of gods and ancestors). Time is even something that man can create outright, for time is made manifest through events, and whether an event takes place or not depends, after all, on man alone. If two armies do not engage in a battle, then that battle will not occur (in other words, time will not have revealed its presence, will not have come into being).
Time appears as a result of our actions, and vanishes when we neglect or ignore it. It is something that springs to life under our influence, but falls into a state of hibernation, even nonexistence, if we do not direct our energy toward it. It is a subservient, passive essence, and, most importantly, one dependent on man.
The absolute opposite of time as it is understood in the European worldview.
In practical terms, this means that if you go to a village where a meeting is scheduled for the afternoon but find no one at the appointed spot, asking, “When will the meeting take place?” makes no sense. You know the answer: “It will take place when people come.”
(…)
Africans believe that a mysterious energy circulates through the world, ebbing and flowing, and if it draws near and fills us up, it will give us the strength to set time into motion—something will start to happen. Until this occurs, however, one must wait; any other behavior is delusional and quixotic… “
Well said ooshak. I totally agree with you.
This post is ALLLL the way true! Even in America, Nigerians can’t be on time to save our lives. I even blogged about this very thing like a year ago.
http://www.awesomelyluvvie.com/2009/09/nigerians-are-late-people.html
Baby shower at 5pm? Print special invitations for your Nigerian friends that says “Shower promptly starts at 3.” THEN we’d stroll in at 5:45. O___o.
I love my people but goodness! lol
Love reading your stuff and hearing you speak Yoruba in your videos.
You may enjoy this blog based on your reaction to the time issue: http://www.stuffnigerianpeoplelike.com/
African time is applicable as long as you don’t work in the corporate world.
I worked in one of the Zenith Bank branches in Lagos and we had a daily meeting which started at 7.15am. God have mercy on you if you don’t get in on time. Now I live in London and I can’t even get in to work at 8.30 am consistently. Then in Lagos, I would wake up at 5am and then snooze till 6am, have what seems like a bath, put on my suit which I ironed over the weekend and zip out of the house, flag down a bike (or okada) for half of the journey and change over to a danfo for the remaining half. get to work around 6.45 am, put on my make up, do my hair, get ready for the meeting and then go and get yelled at for the next 45 mins.
One for you: When next you’re in lagos, take a trip from the mainland to the island on a weekday by 5am and you will be in serious traffic!
Nigerians take their jobs seriously lol! but they can’t be bothered to get to other events on time!
Nigerians (myself included) have been able to get away with this ‘phenomenon’ because it has been silently approved by all, there is no reproache for taking the “african time” get away card when required (More like “taking the 5th Amendment”).
The walkaround for this, though no applicable in official/formal engagement is to move back the hand of the clock couple of hours before we actually intend to commence an activity based on the premises that the participants will arrive late.
I believe this attitude developed from the thought or line of thinking as you earlier said that “it is not cool to be the first one at a party”.