The National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), has said that poor management of time was part of the factors depriving Nigerian society of its deserved development.
Speaking Tuesday in Makurdi, Benue State, at the opening ceremony of the two-day annual roundtable on cultural orientation, the Executive Secretary of NICO, Mr. Ado M. Yahuza, stated that though the issue of African time has always been taken lightly, it has nevertheless, led constantly to missed opportunities, delayed progress, strained interpersonal relationships as well as hindered productivity.
The event, with a theme, “The African Time Syndrome: Implication for National Development”, brought together other chief executives of culture, members of the academia and the arts and culture community at the College of Health Science Auditorium, Benue State University, Makurdi. There were also a large number of youths from the state in attendance.
The Executive Secretary decried that the repercussion of poor time management extends beyond individual habits to affect the collective well-being and efficiency of the society and as such, demands collective attention towards eradicating the menace.
“Let us make this gathering a vibrant exchange of ideas as we approach this discourse with open hearts and minds. May these conversations not only illuminate the challenges posed by the African time syndrome but also shed light on the vast opportunities and significant benefits that can come with its elimination towards cultural harmony and national development”, the E.S said.
The event was chaired by a Professor in the Department of Theatre Arts, Benue State University, Gowon Ama Doki. He noted that the event slated for 10 am eventually begun one hour behind scheduled due to people’s adherence to African time. He added that since he became conscious of time, the problem of African time has persisted.
“Since I became conscious of time, I have been hearing about African time without understanding the concept behind it.”
He however commended NICO for choosing the topic, stressing that African time has affected the society in several ways without evaluation. According to him, the event will reveal the socio-economic implications of poor management of time.
The Royal Father of the Day was Tur Makurdi, Chief Aule Vincent, who also applauded the theme of the roundtable.
Commending NICO for using available resources to impact society in the area of cultural orientation.
“The conference theme could not be timelier than now considering the importance of culture in the development of any society, especially as it has to do with the youths who we often referred to as the leaders of tomorrow.
As a traditional institution, we are indeed delighted to identify with you for using the available resources within your reach to conscientize participants within the state and across the country on this important theme”, he said.
