“One potential problem of a Nigerian printer and with the Nigerian printers is their inability to confidently identify and associate themselves with their trade. Even when they try to do so, they tend to do so, perhaps, under duress. This is what I call inferiority complex”. These were the words of Segun Okanlanwon, Managing Director, STB Global Industry Ltd., Lagos.
Okanlanwon who is also the Chairman, Small Scale Paper Converters Association of Nigeria (SSPCAN) described as unfortunate, where a trade man (professional printer) will not be able to identify himself with his trade especially when making introduction of himself in a gathering, whether informal or formal.
According to him, “I am a Printer by profession. I am proud to be a printer because providing printing services is what I do to make a daily living. Because of the importance of this trade and its many gains to me so far, I am not ashamed to be introduced as ‘Printer Okanlanwon’. You will find out that this is an opposite to so many industry practitioners view as they may have chosen to go the normal prefix of ‘Mr.’, ‘Mrs.’
“In the world over, when you visits the hospital, it is either a Nurse attends to you, or a Doctor treats you. In the legal system, we have them as Barristers or Lawyer. The Engineer is proud to be who he is. And this trend goes with so many other professionals. But i always ask myself, why is the printers case different? This is not because our profession is looked down upon, it is because the level of quackery keeps manifesting itself among industry practitioners”.
“It is time we printers come out of our shell. It is time that the qualified begin to make brand statement and associate with what they do. If other professional practitioners can be bold and communicate in strong terms, their brand identity, let the printer do same without fear or favour”, he enthused.
