The woman who discovered joy in painting buildings
At the popular Building Material Market in Mararaba, Karu, Nasarawa State, a young woman in paint-splotched Tee Shirt and Jeans struts around, confidently hobnobbing between shops, asking for items. Often the women seen in this market are selling things. Dorcas Abel is a customer buying things she needs for her work on construction sites.
“I do screeding and painting, I am a painter and it is just a natural gift,” she said with a smile.
Before becoming a house painter, a predominantly male occupation, Dorcas, 27, read Physics and Mathematics at the College of Education, Pankshin, Plateau State and graduated in 2016, with a National Certificate of Education. But as far as she was concerned, that was not the only graduation that mattered in her life.
“I am happy that I have graduated again from a lady seeking employment in a very competitive environment and have become self-employed and even an employer of labour,” she said.
The native of Kagoma, Dorcas hails from Kauna, Southern Kaduna State. She left her parents’ home to settle at Rugar Madaki in Karu, Nasarawa State. The prospect of working on the farm did not appeal to her so she moved to the suburbs of the federal capital to pursue oppurtunities.
With no support, she took up residence in an uncompleted building. She boarded up the windows, and attached a makeshift door. She and the other occupants feared the owner of the house could show up at any moment and kick them out but until that happened, they had nowhere else to stay.
Dorcas soon realised that many people in the area were keen about finding jobs or hustling for a living. Determined not to be a slacker, she made up her mind to take any chance she gets at making a living. So the next day, when she saw some resident males going out to work she asked where they were going to. She followed them to the construction site they were working at
Dorcas recalled that she went to watch them work and while away time but when they started painting, she found it interesting and decided to try her hand. She never looked back.
Within a year, she had learnt enough to survey, give professional advice to clients, give a cost estimate, hire boys as helping hands, buy paint, mix colours to get a unique colour, arrange for ladders, scaffolds, sweep, screed, paint and make designs. Within this time, things changed for her.
“I trust myself and relate well with everybody. I know it will be a short time as I am determined to excel. I have now rented a room and left the abandoned building area. My ambition is to settle down, obtain a degree and marry,” she said.
But for now, having rented an apartment, Dorcas is chipping in to help pay the fees for her sister who is still with their parents in Kaduna.
Her parents do not know what she is doing for a living, neither does her boyfriend who is currently working in Maiduguri.
Apart from being creative, Dorcas said her enthusiasm for the work has been her greatest selling point. Most times, people stop to watch her work and collect her contact to offer her a job because they are often impressed by her honesty.
“The biggest contract I have won is painting a private school,” she said. “The proprietress is a lady who gave me a contract to paint her school at the rate of 200,000.”
She posts pictures of her work on social media but because she is not cutting corners she has so far refused to lobby foremen for contracts, relying instead on her good work and reputation to earn her jobs.
“I am happy to be a painter and earn a living through it,” she said with a smile. For Dorcas she has found happiness in the colours she paints on buildings, even if traditionally this is not thought to be a job fit for a woman.