Mrs Lami Ahmed is Managing Director of Chrisanbeth Investments Limited, the manufacturer of Marjiam paints. In this interview with Viewpoint Housing News in Abuja, she calls for patronage of local manufacturers in order to support upcoming businesses. She laments that Nigeria’s market is stiffing for upcoming producers because big shots have already taken a large chunk of the market and preference for imported products is not helping at all. Ahmed says her small company is giving out value to customers at an affordable rate in order to get good testimonies, as according to her, her interest is in building a name for her brand.
By Oby Echeburu & Mimidoo Patrick
Viewpoint: Could you tell us what motivated you to start the production of Marjiam paints?
Ahmed: Marjiam paints are a baby of the company. My coming into contact with paint can be dated back to the time when I used to help my father in the village as a little clerical staff. I was in primary school then and part of the things he sold was paint. I was so small to really understand what paint was all about but I was excited because some people that came to buy paint from him– whenever I passed by their houses, I would notice that the building looked beautiful because it had been painted. So the dream of paint which I got as a child didn’t leave my mind.
The idea was shared with my family and they all felt it was something worth trying. Looking at the fact that most of our major paints in Nigeria are imported paints, we decided to learn more about paint and as time went by, we decided to go into the production of paint. We had to look for the right persons with skills and experience to come into the production of paint.
Viewpoint: How long have Marjiam paints been in existence?
Ahmed: This vision is about five years old but we aren’t yet in the market like the big shots around. We’re small so we decided to get in touch with end users of the product because by doing so we’re equally marketing ourselves to the world at large. That is basically what we have been doing in the last five years and we know we are getting bigger because painters, engineers and architects that use our paints are the ones that are indirectly marketing our products in the sense that they share their experiences with other people.
Viewpoint: So how has business been following the fact that Nigerians like more foreign goods than the locally made?
Ahmed: This is a very good question that should be asked to most upcoming business owners in Nigeria. Nigeria is ridiculously an unhealthy market for upcoming producers because we have the big shots who have already taken a big chunk of the market share and the Nigerian mentality of imported products are better than the locally made is rubbing up on us. So it’s been a very big challenge and that is why we realised from the beginning that since we are a small company that is trying to give out value to customers at an affordable rate in order to get good testimonies from our clients — because we believe that people don’t forget when they come in contact with good products and so they become mouthpiece — that’s the part we have chosen but it’s obvious that we are steadily growing from what we’ve seen.
Viewpoint: The government always says it’s helping small and medium scale entrepreneurs like you. Would you say you have got any better through government’s help/policy?
Ahmed: Let me say this, that every policy by the government is usually in good faith, to carry citizens from one point of development to another focusing on the small [components] of the community so that the growth can be from the bottom to the top. This can be achieved when the government makes everything available in all angles of development.
Viewpoint: How much do you sell a drum of paint?
Ahmed: Due to the fact that we are still small and growing, our premium product is sold for N10,000 and the classic products are sold for as low as N6,000 only. We are not necessarily bothered if we are making profit now or not. We are keen on making a name in the world because once we make the name, the volume will definitely come. We are concerned about credibility and quality.
Viewpoint: Are Marjiam paints certified by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)?
Ahmed: Marjiam Paints is a registered company but we are in the process of registering with SON because that’s the ultimate. And to be able to register with them, they come for inspection to ensure that you deliver to their standards and keep the consistency on because they will keep coming from time to time to inspect. So we are still in the process of the registration.
Viewpoint: So how does one get Marjiam paint?
Ahmed: It’s not yet in the market due to the fact that we are still in the process of marketing the product. That’s why I said earlier that we are dealing directly with the end users and they are the ones that are equally encouraging us with the good feed back. So it shows that we are at that level where we can invite SON to come and inspect the product.
Viewpoint: When would Marjiam paints be officially unveiled?
Ahmed: By our strategy and target, Marjiam paints should be unveiled October 2019. We believe that this brand will meet the needs of Nigerians from all corners of the country.
Viewpoint: Are there plans to go into partnership with institutions like the National Boards for Technical Education for skills acquisition?
Ahmed: Obviously, but our major goal is to get registered with SON then we do the official unveiling, then create more employments.
One thing we have done so far in our small way is that we have been focusing on the painters because the painters are the ones exposed to the product but people hardly think about them and they hardly think about their safety. Why? Because they don’t have adequate information and aren’t aware of the hazards associated with it. So the clients that come to buy our paint, we always insist on seeing the painter to educate them on how to use the product in such a way that they are protected.
