Mrs Daina Osasere Ehanah is the Executive Director of Handy Gidi, an Abuja-based furniture making company. She has exhibited entrepreneurial skill from her university days, when she managed her own business centre on campus. Today, with 21 permanent staff and scores of contract staff producing quality furniture, Handy Gidi recently won the award of the most innovative indigenous furniture company of the year in Nigeria. As the global community marks the 2025 International Women’s Day, the ebullient Diana shared her entrepreneurial journey experiences with Victoria Onehi of 120edgenews.
Could you let us know you and give us some insight as to how you started out in business?
My name is Mrs Daina Osasere Ehanah. I am the Executive Director, Handy Gidi. I am also the Managing Director/CEO of Godisk Concepts. Godisk Concepts was established in year 2001, and that was in my year three at the university. I started the company on the ground of publishing because I love to read and love to write. So, after a year, I had two books published in my name and I decided to take it further by having a publishing company to publish other people’s books for them.
So, I registered the company with CAC, called Godisk Concepts Publisher, and I started publishing books.I registered officially with the book companies and the National Library.
So, how did you move into where you are today, furniture making?
My dad had a furniture company. So, I was working as a sales representative in the company until my NYSC call-up letter came. Later on, I got employed as a Sales Manager. Well, I was earning N15,000 then as a Sales Representative, and then it moved to N30,000 as a Sales Manager at the end of 2005. So, I worked as a manager in terms of job descriptions and job targets. This role helped me to work on online contracts and business as a whole. That was how this process began.
So, we both established a company called G&D Construction Services and from there, we expanded to the furniture line, and because I have so much interest in carpentry, woodwork, and all that, and because of my dad’s experiences, that gave me strong confidence to start a furniture business.
So, that was how we started. We started with importation of furniture. We imported doors, kitchen furniture and more but by the year 2015, when former President Buhari came to power, he sealed and banned a lot of importation and exportation. So, with all that, he encouraged us to start local production in Nigeria, rather than always importing furniture. We opened our factory in 2015 and since then, we have grown to a full furniture company, rather than importing as we did before.
So, in 2015 we opened a factory in Lugbe and from there, we bought the property in Lugbe. In Lugbe, we have a full furniture company, where we produce raw material to finish products. We process our wood, everything, starting from little to basically everything. Since we started, we have had enough challenges but despite that, we are waxing stronger by the day.
Interestingly, you started horning your entrepreneurial skill from the university. What will you say to parents to help build the skill set of their children?
I was in university in 2000, my year one, when I started my business. I started writing books, publishing books and doing other businesses. I used to have this Phone Call center, where we were selling recharge cards. I used to have two stands in Kubwa. Then, you make phone calls in the public space, under the umbrellas. I employed a sales girl, who kept the records of sales and cards sold. At the weekend, I go over the records with her. Also, at the university, I had a business center. So, the entrepreneurship zeal has always been in me.
So, how do you think we should encourage young people now that there are issues of unemployment? Do you think we should emphasize more skills, acquisition, than acquiring certificates?
I really support the idea that entrepreneurial skills should be taught from primary level and even secondary levels. Children should start learning how to save and start learning how to do small business. They can make items, sell and get paid. They can do trade by barter.
In the secondary school, they can start learning business skills such that a student will know that he can study medicine and not just to be a doctor but an entrepreneurial doctor. You can be an entrepreneurial scientist. That is why you will find out that a lot of professors don’t own universities but a lot of business people own universities. I think that is a game. Professors who are very intelligent don’t own a university but are employed by the business men. You will notice that business men who graduated with 3rd class because of their entrepreneurial skills will employ those with first class degree. If people build their entrepreneurial skills, they don’t need be pilots but they can own their airlines. They can own schools, they can own hospitals, they can own any business. So, if we start teaching this through right from secondary school, it will help us as a country or society.
I know you started out something like that when you were teaching teenagers wood work and how to design things from items at home….
Yes, that’s true. For three years, my company did that but last year we paused because that space was too small. We did it in 2021, 2022, 2023. In 2024 we did not do it. But this year we want to do it again and I think it will be better this year so that the children can keep learning something. In our research, we found out that the children of the rich feel furniture-making is for street people but that is not true. I have watched a video of furniture makers in China in which they are children of the affluent. So, the mentality needs to change. You will find out that in China they train girls and boys from age five. They have their own work table. And guess what? They source most of the raw materials from Nigeria, take it to their country, process them and bring the finished products for us to buy.
It appears there is a serious gap that we need to fill. What do you think can be done by government and private investors to fill the gap?
The major thing government can do is to fix the power sector. We need constant power supply to enable woods to dry well before use. We don’t have that. Power supply is very key. Government has not invested much into the wood-making industry and that is why other countries take from us, process it and export back to us. For us local industries doing furniture making, we import 80 percent of the items and assemble them here with only 20 percent of locally sourced items and sell.
So, what would you say is one of your high points in this business so far?
Last year, at the Africa CEO Merit Awards 2024, which is an annual gathering of top CEOs and Entrepreneurs across Africa, Handy Gidi got the award for the most innovative indigenous furniture company of the year. That is really a big recognition for us. Out of all the furniture making companies in Abuja and Nigeria, we were recognised as the best innovative indigenous furniture company of the year 2024. That we got this pat on the back encouraged us. Not just internally, but getting it internationally, or getting it publicly, it’s a big encouragement for us.We were happy to see that a lot of people are looking out and seeing the work we are doing and they recognised us. That has really given us a different feel. We will do better. Probably, we’ll get it for 2025.
Another high point again is the ability to contribute to the workforce in the country. Our staff strength right now is 21 permanent workers and we have 32 to 35 casual staff and there are other contract staff we pay monthly and weekly. Based on the contract we have with them.
Your factory is in Lugbe and then you have your showroom in Wuye. What are your plans for expansion?
Yeah, we do. We are opening another branch at Lugbe soon, close to the factory. But we are looking at having more distributors. That is, people who come, pick from what is available and go out and sell. So, we are looking to more distributorship channels.
As we’re celebrating and talking about the global community celebrating women at International Women’s Day, how do you combine your roles as an entrepreneur and a mother?
It is quite tasking. You have to have a very good partner to enable you to fly because most times it is what I love to do and we both work in the same field and we do the business together, it is easy for me to fly and explore the furniture line business. Since I know that, I can l tell my husband oh, I have an appointment here. I’m going to Lagos or I’m going to Ghana on this business trip. My husband will say okay, you can go. Just call your nannies or call your mom to be around and cover up that gap or say, don’t worry about me, just go about your business.
It has really encouraged me to fly and fly very high. So if you have a good partner, it’s actually very easy. But sincerely, it is not easy. But you know God has a way of making things really easy. I am a mother of four and I can tell you for a fact that it is not easy because each child will need their own attention. At a time, one can be dragging you for school open day while another is preparing for a competition and needs your support just as the little one is saying mommy, I need milk. So, it is not easy. As I said, if you have a good spouse, they will not notice you’re lacking in any area. So, with that, it has been very, very easy. I make out time for them.
So, how old are you now?
I am 43 years old.
You look so good. You’ve done so well. How many years have you put into the company now?
Thirteen years now. But we started counting from the days of local production because we just have to do a drastic upgrade from importation to locally made furnitures and that has helped us a great deal.
This strategy has helped us to train more people in wood work and furniture making locally.So, over the years, we have trained staff that are acquainted with international standard practices So, we don’t have to depend on expatriates to do the job. That is one achievement we have recorded over the years. That is, training our own indigenous workforce.
As the global community is marking the 2025 International Women’s Day now, in what ways do you hope to give back to the society?
We are giving N10,000 each to young women in the street to support their businesses. Also, we are giving 30 percent discount to women who have house or office furnishing projects.
