Speaking with the Tribune Online in Ilorin, a senior lecturer in the department of Microbiology, faculty of Life Sciences in the University of Ilorin, Dr. Amina Ahmed El-Imam, said that people who are not conscious of how they use their time productively are in a close relationship with poverty.
“There’s a direct link of how we spend our time and how successful we are. There’s a direct link between how we manage our time and poverty. There’s a common saying that time is money. Believe me, it’s actually correct. It might not be exactly equivalent obviously. Some individuals make a whole country’s budget in a day! That’s the extent of the possibility of how we can apply our time. We say we are not rich, we are waiting for miracle, but we don’t divide our time into productive activities, but instead waste it on unfruitful conversations, or we delay people that can benefit us.
“For instance, a friend missed out on a N50million national research fund grant when he came one-and- half hour late to the meeting they were supposed to select the team that would benefit the grant. He lives to regret it.
“If you do not use your time productively or to make money or you’re not conscious and intentional of how you spend your time on economic viable programmes, the person is in a close relationship with poverty. So, to improve our economic lot as a people, we need to invest our time in productive activities that can yield economic returns”, she said.
Dr. El-Imam, a former banker and a PhD holder in Microbiology from the University of Nottingham, UK and a fulbright research fellow in the North Carolina State University, USA, just finished writing two books, titled, “Time management for professional women” and “Knowing microbes”.
The university lecturer, who said that many Nigerians’ tardiness to time management is ‘terrible’, added that every minute could potentially be exchanged for money.