Nigeria, our great nation of immense potential and resources, now faces a chronic malaise that hampers its growth and development.
The malaise is indiscipline. Indiscipline is now on the rise and on the march across the length and breadth of this large nation.
Amongst elected public officials and civil servants, indiscipline has become the single most destructive tendency to productivity and national development. Simply put, nobody keeps to time anymore and we all as a nation pay the price.
Punctuality, that bedrock of work performance and productivity seems to have been publicly abandoned. It is so bad that you will hardly find any politician or public officer in the office before 10am. They seem to have adopted their own work schedule aside from the known 7.30am to 3.30pm of the public service known hours of service.
This anomaly significantly disrupts productivity, efficiency, and ultimately batters and demarkets nation’s economy.
Beyond reporting late, most government offices have on their own adopted a 3-day work week. Many MDAs are practically empty on Mondays and Fridays. They have simply added Mondays and Fridays to their weekends, thus giving themselves a four-day long weekend.
A Time-Related Malady
Indiscipline and disrespect of time has become a corrosive behaviour in society. Tardiness and disregard of time can be seen in virtually all facets of national life. The most prominent manifestation is the chronic lateness to public events among civil servants and elected officials. This lack of adherence to time schedules adversely impacts the functioning of government and public institutions. It is now normal to assume that a function scheduled for 10am will most likely kickoff in the afternoon. If you happen to arrive on time, the organisers will probably assume that you are either out of your mind or that you are a returnee from abroad. It is that bad.
Significantly, punctuality is a hallmark of organised societies and functional nations. It is a fundamental value that ensures order, productivity, adherence to planned objectives.
However, this monumental loss of manhours is often overlooked or disregarded in our Nigerian society. Imagine the chaos in a hospital where doctors and nurses do not arrive on time. Imagine also the disarray and confusion in a university where lecturers are not conducted according to timetable.
Recently, at the University of Calabar, students protested that they were forced to sit for exams without exam timetables. This is after a year of lectures without timetables. In other words, students had no idea when to attend lectures. The students also were given no idea what day or time they would sit for particular courses. It has become that bad.
Impact Of Tardiness On Nation’s Economy
The widespread indiscipline regarding time management has profound ramifications for Nigeria’s economy and overall productivity.
Persistent tardiness leads to reduced working hours and compromises the efficiency and output of both civil servants and public officials. Delayed meetings, events, and projects hinder collaboration and partnerships, resulting in missed economic opportunities that could propel the nation forward.
Consistent lateness erodes trust and credibility, both domestically and internationally, affecting investment and partnerships critical for economic growth. The reputation of Nigerian workers is tarnished due to perceived lack of discipline, affecting their employability and potential for international collaborations.
Latecomers At Federal Ministry Of Works
It was apparently in an effort to do something about this national malaise that the Minister of Works, Engineer Dave Umahi on Thursday locked out latecomers at Work’s offices. Umahi had prevented workers who came late that morning from gaining access to the ministry.
When the gate was however opened, the late comers rather than hide their faces in shame, they refused to enter the premises. They resorted to protest and demanded the minister’s sack for daring to lock them out despite their lateness.
They in turn locked the minister in. It was reported that they also prevented entry and exit of everyone into the building. That day, they prevented the Minister of Works from leaving the office to receive the Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu, who came to the headquarters on a courtesy visit.
The union leaders went on to cut power to the building thus grinding work to a close. The protesting latecomers insisted that the minister must apologise to them for daring to sanction them for lateness. The audacity of these late coming workers in seeking apology from the minister shocked me to my bone marrow. Has it become so bad? Has our indiscipline reached this zenith?
I saw a viral video where one of the union leaders was reminding the former governor of Ebonyi State that the federal ministry of works and housing is not like a state, and that “this is federal” as if being a worker in federal ministry is a licence to behave and talk anyhow? Their attempt at intimidating the minister worked because the minister eventually apologized.
To allow peace to reign the minister apologised and in his apology he exposed how the workers have been habitual latecomers which affect his capacity to treat files. He said: “I would come to work and see workers coming to work by 12 O’clock, by 1 O’clock. I have had to send some of them to the permanent secretary to talk to them. “Just a week ago, I called all the Directors and said to them: ‘Without discipline, it is difficult’. I come to work and ask for files, some of the staff are not yet in the office to provide the files. “By 3 O’clock I ask for files, some of the workers would have left. I cannot do without you, and you cannot do without me. Today I came to work by 9:30 am. I had a number of files to transmit and not up to 5 percent of the workers were in. “If you were offended this morning, I offer apologies to you. You have to support me; I am not fighting for myself.”
This column holds the view that the minister did wrong by apologising to those who did wrong. By so doing, he has provided them license to continue to disobey civil service work schedules. That is unacceptable in a society that expects functional results. I hope he has heard that people resign in Japan for coming to work even one minute late.
National Orientation Agency
This indiscipline menace ought to be addressed by the National Orientation Agency. We cannot achieve much if we do not respect time schedules. How can contractors deliver roads on schedule when those who supervise them show no respect to time?
Elected officials and top civil servants should lead this reorientation by example. They should consistently demonstrate punctuality and adherence to schedules so as to set a standard for others. They should also enforce policies that hold individuals accountable for tardiness with appropriate sanctions for repeat offenders.
Public awareness campaigns highlighting the economic and societal costs of indiscipline in time management ought to be pursued. This is where the National Orientation Agency (NOA) comes in. The NOA has offices in all local government areas across Nigeria.
Indiscipline regarding punctuality and adherence to schedules has become a deeply ingrained issue because of societal tolerance and acceptance. The solution really lies in the top leadership. When the top leaders arrive functions on time, the civil servants and others will simply follow suit. That is why Umahi’s apology is a no no!
MAY NIGERIA REBOUND
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