My goal is to own an auto brand in Nigeria –Mulikat Sanni

She is known as the  Auto Queen in the automobile dealership business in Nigeria.  Mulikat Fehintola Sanni, Chairman/Managing Director of Mulifelong Motors  derived joy from what the male gender enjoys as a hobby even as a  child. She loved  boxing and soccer. Little wonder she settled for a business   that’s predominantly dominated by men. In this interview,  she reveals how she ventured into the auto business as well as her life generally. Excerpts:
Could you tell us about your journey into  business?
I’m from a background of  business people. My late father was into stationeries and  he was one of the competitors of Onward Stationery Stores. His shop  was named Owode Stationery Store. My mother was into textiles and  her shop was on  Lagos  Island.
I attended the  University of Lagos and Yaba College of Technology for short courses in transport management.
I incorporated  my own business subsequently with peanuts. I have been in the automobile  business for almost four decades. I am a member of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I  am one of the  accredited Peugeot distributors in Nigeria.  Some  call me mama transport and others  call me auto queen in the industry.
At  Yaba College of Technology, I was admitted to study  horology, but  I said no.  I opted for mechanical engineering . Later,  I started dealing in auto  spare parts with one of the pioneers  at SCOA and  Nissan. I supplied auto  spare parts to Central Bank of Nigeria, NDIC, National Bank, Federal Housing Authority, Police Affairs Commission and  State House Marina.
Along the line, I applied for distributorship with Peugeot Automobile Of Nigeria  and since I had been dealing in  various spare parts,  tractors  and other agricultural equipment, my application was granted by the late Chairman of Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria, Mr. Daniel Lanch. I set up  my dealership in Lagos and Ogun states.
I acquired  land in Ogun State , but we are yet to commence full operations  because of  economic constraints.
At the Lagos office, we have  our workshop  where  we  offer after-sales services as well as sell cars.
We believe that customer service is the keyword to business. Once you are trustworthy and with  integrity,  customers can always count on you.
We train  people from NDE and  we add value to their  lives.

What’s your vision for Mulifelong?
Right now, I’m planning  to set up another auto assembly in Nigeria and we’ll brand it, Mulifelong Cars.
That is what I am focusing on now. No transport no business.
In any country, if the transportation sector  is not stable, you can’t do much. Vehicles are  not a luxury. They’re a necessity.

What’s  your assessment of  Nigeria’s  road transport sector?
We lack so many things in transport. Commercial drivers should know they are in serious business and  should  undergo regular training. Governor Babatunde Fashola has done well in creating The Nigeria Institute of Drivers ,  I think it’s very good. It will give  drivers some kind of decorum.

Are you into automobile dealership only?
Not at all. I’m  also involved in the waterways and aviation. Anything called transportation  is my area and I can defend it to the core.

Do you still work on cars?
Yes, when there is a major problem I wear my overall and fix it for customers. An engineer shouldn’t lie  under the vehicle before you know he’s working. When I wear my overall, I can do many things like replacing defective and old parts. We have five departments in my workshop which include mechanical, body shop(which does panel beating),  electrical and re-spraying and what we call vulcanizing. It’s a complete workshop. Mulifelong is our trademark and we’ve been in this business for almost four decades.

Do you only repair the Peugeot brand?
The manufacturer would not want you to dabble into other brands.  When you are their distributor, they wouldn’t want you to promote a business outside theirs because they have their trademark and logo and wouldn’t want people to mix them up. If you want to be a Toyota dealer, you stick with that brand. That is the trend in the business, so you don’t mix them up.
I can work on other brands  but being a  Peugeot distributor, I don’t  and that’s why I decided  it’s high time I had my own brand  too. They are just like me.  Toyota is a brand name like Mulifelong Motors and so also is Nissan . If I can design why not have my own brand? We are already working on it with my engineers and it’s almost in  the final stages.


How do you cope in a  trade  dominated by men?
Some of them are friendly and some feel somehow seeing a woman on the job. They just hail me. When we are tendering for  business in any sector,  they know that I’m going to be the winner. The economy has already turned things around but when they see me, they hail me saying Mama mulifelong. Elizade  tells me “I trust you”.
They love me so much, being the only woman among them. Representatives of  Elizade,  RT Briscoe, and Toyota  hold the  meeting of Auto Allied Trade Group of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry in my office.

How has Mulifelong impacted on the youth population?
When the  National Directorate of Employment (NDE) was  commissioned , my company  was among the first  to train its candidates,  but the problem with  their students is that they are not ready to learn. They are only interested in the money given to them by the government. Some will take money and not come for the training. They want fast money and that is what actually lured some of them into okada business. This is  because they want quick and fast money. When you have a job at hand, the sky is the limit.
Academically they are not sound so they should  go for training, but they’re  still not willing. Where do you go from there?
Could you tell us about your childhood?
My childhood was very interesting. I was brought up in a disciplined family. This is actually a motivator for me.
Before my parents died, they said they would  teach me how to fish , so they taught us how to trade very early in life.
Schooling didn’t  disturb  me from helping my mother. I gained a lot from her and it enhanced  my own business acumen and added more value to my life.  I  love  to  enjoy myself. I  love  reggae, Donna Summer, Fela, Sunny Ade  and Ebenezer Obey as well as  dressing well. My father and mother  taught us  that a man or lady should be able to dress very well. When you dress nicely, good things will surely come.
When I was a young lady, I loved riding bicycle and  I learnt how to drive on my own. I played football in those days and I  was into  boxing. I could have been the first female boxer in this country. I trained for it. I had passion for boxing .
My children call me “Margaret Thatcher”, because they see me as  “an iron lady”. I have four boys and a girl. I don’t take rubbish and they know it. I even taught them how to box when they were young.

How do you relax?
I believe that all work and no play is bad business. So, when it’s time for me to enjoy myself I do and when it’s time for me to enjoy at  parties, I  do. Friends  invite me
to parties and
I relax, discuss and make myself happy there at the same time.
I let down my hair  and dance.

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