Still On This Issue of Lateness

I think we should pay a bit more attention to the conversation this issue is generating.

While there will always be people who think the pastor didn’t act well and others who will think he acted properly, we need to interrogate the culture of lateness we have as Nigerians and Africans.

A few years ago, I was at an event at Iseyin. It was meant to start at 10am. I left Ibadan very early so I could be there on time. I got there at 9am and saw that the venue wasn’t even ready. A grader was still working on the site with dust everywhere.

Canopies were not even in place. And this was a state event that was advertised on air. I was shocked. Later on, we sat waiting for the commencement of the event. Kings and so many high profile people were in attendance. We waited until around 5pm when the host showed up.

He didn’t even start the programme straight away. He went around shaking hands with those who were seated and they all grinned and smiled as if everything was okay. When he mounted the podium, everyone clapped at everything he said. I was miffed and quietly left the place.

There is almost no meeting in Nigeria that starts on time. We do not respect the time of others. We keep people waiting and then mouth apologies-only to repeat the same thing again.

We expect apologies to be sufficient or at worst, we expect others to understand that this is Nigeria and many factors can contribute to our lateness. This is why when we encounter people like this pastor, he suddenly becomes an outlier.

There have been many times that I almost missed my flight because of the hectic traffic. It wasn’t that I didn’t set out on time but then Lagos traffic can be unpredictable. On one occasion, I got down from my car with my luggage and took an ‘okada’. I couldn’t afford to be late.

This is why if I have an early morning flight, I usually sleep close to the airport. We must begin to foresee unforeseen circumstances. The way we treat an event actually shows how important it is to us.

We will do almost anything never to be late for interviews- whether for jobs or visa. People will arrive for visa appointments hours before the doors of the embassy or consulate is open. Why can’t we treat other events that way?

Most people are guilty of this and I will not extricate myself. As a people, we must strive to do better. We all can begin to make this little change and our society will become better for it. The painful aspect is that it is a wedding that has spurned this conversation.

By the way, no be me cancel wedding oooo. Some bloggers are already using my picture to say na me cancel wedding. It’s time to start suing some bloggers for defamation and libel. Don’t say I didn’t warn you oooo.

Bayo Adeyinka