If there is something my society in Nigeria values so much, I will say it is punctuality. I have had opportunities to work in several organisations and companies and I must say they really value it a lot. I have been in a situation where I was expected to be punctual, and I have also been in a situation where I have expected people to be punctual.
I will say I have been on both sides. In Nigeria especially, Punctuality is not really regarded as a strict policy as compared to other nations I have heard about probably because of our culture and the way we interact.
If you are the one who always attends meetings, whether online meetings or even physical meetings, or probably you are in charge of coordinating one, you will discover that there can be several crazy excuses given by people just to defend the reason why they were not punctual.
I have heard people give excuses like their phones got stolen or their wallets got stolen along their way to their workplace. Sometimes, those excuses are actually genuine because nobody can predict unforeseen circumstances, and sometimes, I can say people just frame up those excuses to escape queries, most especially in Nigeria, where organisations do not joke with punctuality.
Some years ago, I was working in a bread factory in Kwara state and in Ilroin, rain is one of the common excuses workers give whenever they are late for work. This certain excuse is really common, especially during the rainy season. You will see someone giving excuses like "The Rain Fell Heavily Around My Street"
There was a time when there was this particular co-worker called Jide. Our factory works in a way whereby they pay 20,000 nairas per month, and so every day you arrive late to your workplace, 1,000 nairas is deducted from your monthly salary.
Jide, who happened to come late that fateful day, knew that he was in big trouble. Well, luck was on his side when there was a small rainfall happening in the whole of Ilorin. Well, the rainfall was not really that heavy, though,h, but nevertheless, it fell.
I was so shocked when Jide was given the reason he came late to my boss that fateful morning. "Oga, Actually, I didn't have it in mind to come late, But that rain was so heavy around my street that it prevented me from coming outside". Jide tables down his excuses.
I was shocked because that is the same street I lived and even though Jide was lying against nature, of course, he was my co-worker and my friend, so I needed to keep quiet. Well, luck was on his side that day, and he was pardoned that day. Probably the excuse sounds so genuine for my boss to accept.
People with their different excuses daily most especially in Nigeria. But till today, one of the excuses for coming late that still was a shock to me was the one Jide gave in the bread industry I was working on a few years ago. The excuse of "Rain Only Fell Strongly In My Street Alone"
One of the things that I am so sure of is the fact that in years to come, there will be a better sense of punctuality in all of our organisations in the world, most especially in Nigeria, my beloved country.
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Jide's excuse is definitely a creative one! 😂 It's funny how people come up with all sorts of reasons for being late. This post highlights the common struggle with punctuality and the sometimes unbelievable excuses people give. Thanks for sharing this amusing anecdote, @consistency! 👍