So today I decided to get a haircut, been long I did that, and it's been three weeks since I came home from school on holiday.

Now when it comes to cutting my hair and trimming my beards, I take particular care selecting a barber and luckily for me, I had a barber whom I have stuck with for two years now, I call him my house barber, because I have another barber in school.

On getting to the barbershop, everything was as you would expect, strands of hair all over the place, sound of the generator and its choking fumes, my barber ever busy with his clipper and the usual aimless arguments and shouts by waiting customers who never seem to have a point of reference in their arguments, jumping from one topic to another.

But amongst all these, there was something different in that shop today, something unique, peculiar, it was the sight of another barber, a female barber, and her name was Nkem.
Now, during my two years of knowing and patronizing my barber, one thing he's known for is his strong headedness about getting a second barber to assist him despite several complaints by customers about the long waiting time to get a haircut.
Now what amazed me the most was that not only did my barber finally get an assistant, he got a female barber. There must be something special about this lady for him to employ her.

Well as you would have it, I got there and immediately refused her offer to cut my hair, mainly because I felt she wasn't good enough or experienced enough and I decided to wait my turn with my barber. While I was waiting and keeping myself busy by listening to the usual shortsighted arguments of the customers, an old man probably in his 70's walked in and asked to get a haircut, as usual, Nkem offered to give him, but the man bluntly refused saying he's an old man and no girl can touch his head or hair, some of the other customers then proceeded to persuade the old man to allow Nkem cut his hair because he might not be able to join us in waiting his turn but in reply he asked me in particular, "why you no want make she cut your own hair?" and I quickly replied "I no sure say she go fit barb this my style" before the old man could even reply, Nkem swiftly and quickly replied me, saying "point of correction, no be say I no go fit cut your hair, just say you no want make I cut your hair, no come here dey kill my career".

As much as I was taken aback by her swift response, I was more impressed with the confidence and assuredness with which she defended herself but still wasn't convinced that she could cut my hair. Just as all these were going on, another waiting customer who was probably in his mid forties said to all of us "let me give her a try, maybe she can convince me" and proceeded to sit in her chair for his haircut and I closely observed. The ease and swiftness with which she expertly gave him a haircut astounded me, I did not know when I went to sit in her chair for my own haircut: after apologizing for my earlier comments, but she calmly replied me and said, "no problem, just sit down make I cut your hair",and she got to work. The way she carved the hair and trimmed the beards with an air of calmness around her, indeed she was coolness personified, I was so amazed and curious that I engaged her in a conversation, I then asked where she learnt how to barb, that was when I learnt that she was a student of English in DELSU, the only word I could muster was "wow", so you're in school and still barbing, she said that's one of the things she does to make ends meet. I was so amazed and ashamed and kept on apologizing to her for my initial comments. She was soon done with my hair and by that time, customers were already in line waiting for her because by now, her works were speaking for her...
That was when I really understood what Female power is, it wasn't her body or fine looks or her trim body, it was her character, skill, determination to survive and make it in a male dominated field despite the challenges, doubts and discouragement from customers.

Today I was taught a brutal lesson in life and just as the old saying goes, "never judge a book by its cover" in this case, "never underestimate a woman who is determined and focused to achieve her goals in life, you just may be shocked beyond your wildest imagination"
Truly Nkem taught me a lot of life lessons today and number one is never to look down on people just because they don't seem to fit in with the status quo. How Nkem is able to hold her own in the male dominated barbing profession and still carry on fine with her education is a topic for another day.
Nkem is not odd, Nkem is UNIQUE.