75 Years Old Man in Abuja Shares His 35 Years Experience as a Local Barber

 

With every profession and occupation adopting new trends to doing things, there seems to still be a few people who are still stuck to the old ways and they are happy doing so.

One of such people is Ahmadu Hamidu, a 75-year-old local barber in Guabe, Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory.  An indigene of Bauchi State, Hamidu has been plying his trade for 35years, six of which have been in the nation's capital, he told Daily Trust.

"It started with my father. He was a popular barber in my village in Bauchi State. I learnt this trade from him, and I have been doing it for more than 35 years before moving to Gaube about six years ago in order to earn more money and respect. I go to the village occasionally and during such visits, people regard me with more respect unlike when I stay there", he said.
 
Hamidu says he has already trained four of his five children on the trade and they are doing very well for themselves.  "Four of my five children are already doing this business. Though they go to school, they also pick interest in it because one cannot tell how the training would be useful to them in the future".

On the challenges of the trade, he said, "This business is so easy that I do not need to rent a shop as they do. I stay under a tree but they cannot and not everybody would want to use electric clippers. At times, I get more customers than those people. Hair cut is N100 while shaving is N50 but in those places, it costs more than N300."

Although patronage is not always very high, Hamidu says "the business gives you a free hand and requires little money to set up.