When Mallam Shuaibu moved to Lagos from Kano in 1986, Nigeria was at the beginning of its second republic, led by Shehu Shagari. With his wife and kids in tow, he arrived in Lagos in search of greener pastures. They first settled in Isheri (Magodo) to sell ankara, but after a few years Mallam Shuaibu observed that the market was not as lucrative as he anticipated; the instability of the military era was also hard on his business. So when someone offered him the opportunity to protect and live on an empty plot of land in Isheri he decided to open a provision shop and continue his family tradition as a Wanzami (Hausa for barber).

The men’s grooming industry in Africa is booming. The clipper segment alone is currently valued at about €200 million with Nigeria accounting for a major share of the market. However, certain aspects of the barbing industry have taken a downturn in 2016 as Nigerians are starting to cut back on spending.

For example, the cost of barbing in conventional barbershops has increased because of the rising cost of electricity and operations (a haircut previously priced at N300 is N500 now). “We had no choice but to just increase our prices. Fuel prices have gone up, the cost of foodstuffs have more than doubled,” says Christmas, a barber within Magodo.

The Wanzamai, however, have had a boom in their business in 2016 due to their low price point.

“Things are hard lately. I have stopped barbing my hair twice in a month. I now barb once,” says Supo, a customer at a Magodo salon. “When I can barb my hair for N100, why would I go to a N500 shop,” says Kazeem, a driver of a Magodo resident who regularly frequents Mallam Shuaibu’s shop.

Wanzamai (singular: Wanzami) are traditional barbers, typically from Northern parts of Nigeria that use non-electric barbing tools to cut hair. They also perform traditional activities such as circumcision, goitre treatment and horn therapy.

When Mallam Shuaibu first opened his provision shop it was one of the largest in the community. Now it is a small container store surrounded by other shops and even a large supermarket.

Mallam Shuaibu’s makeshift barbershop is an open space just beside his provision shop. On most days, the customers and the Wanzamai sit on three dusty wooden benches. On the first bench, sits Mallam Shuaibu, idle, waiting for his next customer and also supervising his two Wanzamai, Musa and Muhammed, whom he brought from Kano when he decided he wanted to focus more on his provision shop. The two do most of the hair cutting, and today have two customers sitting in front of them on separate benches while they perform a hair cut.

When I arrive Musa and Muhammed are just finishing up the two customers, while chatting in Hausa. I approach Mallam Shuaibu and greet him as he calls a customer, Ibrahim, who has just had a haircut, to interpret for him.

Musa begins a typical hair cut by cleaning the customer’s head and then using tools from Zabira or his barber tool bag. He uses a blade-like knife known as “aska” and to scrape the head, moving the aska from one side to the other carefully. He uses the same process for the beard. Before he leaves a customer tells me, “I come here on my bike every week to barb my hair.”

Mallam Shuaibu closed down his provision store in 2013 when the landlord of the property sold the land. When the land was sold, the rent of N200, 000 was too much for him, especially considering that his previous arrangement was rent-free. Generously, the landlord offered Shuaibu a little space where he was able to set up a container structure to keep his sales going.

Mallam Shuaibu’s shop, located in Isheri, an outskirt area of Magodo, Lagos. Magodo is home to a huge chunk of Lagos upper middle class, characterised with fine architectural splendour and flashy cars. The high cost of rent and expensive standard of living makes it expensive for low-income earners living within the area to survive, thereby forcing them to explore alternative ways to make a living.

Isheri, akin to a Brazilian favela, is an area where the low-income earners and even some of the “high class” residents living within Magodo convey regularly to purchase items for which the prices are hiked in Magodo. Prices, which are sometimes doubled in Magodo, can be found at cheaper rates in Isheri.

Mallam Shuaibu’s popularity in Isheri helps explain the high traffic of his barbershop. He tells me that he receives between 50 to 60 customers weekly. His customers commend him for his kindness and honesty. “I have known Mallam Shuaibu for a long time now. He is a very good man. He is known within the community for his honesty and that is why people like to patronize him,” says Ibrahim, a customer. Isheri, a town predominantly occupied by Yoruba’s has been an exception for Mallam Shuaibu. “People from all tribes patronize me- Igbo’s, Yoruba’s and Hausa’s. There is no difference between the tribes, we are all one”, says Mallam Shuaibu

Barbers are known for their creativity, with various hairstyles like the classic fade, two steps, three steps and punk. However these styles are expensive to make and maintain, leaving mainly the people who can afford them to wear these styles. Nonetheless, the Wanzamai use less sophisticated tools to also create some of these hairstyles.

The Wanzamai use tools that don’t require electricity, and are mostly nomadic in nature — this saves them from having to bear electricity and rental costs. Musa says that he has been cutting people’s hair since when he was a child. He, like other Wanzamai, holds his job with high prestige. “It is a tradition passed on to from one generation to another generation”, explains Musa.

The setback of the Wanzamai barbing process is that some Lagosians still consider some of their practices unsafe. A new customer, Yemi explains that he likes their barbing style but he would prefer to get his own aska in order to continue using their services.

In the midst of a worsening recession, more Nigerians have less purchasing power, yet opportunities continue to grow for business owners such as Mallam Shuaibu who offer services at a lower price point. Mallam Shuaibu has aspirations and believes that there is a lot of opportunity for the Wanzamai in other parts of Lagos. His plan is to get a permanent location and attract more customers in subsequent years. “If I get a land for free, I would build a big barbershop”, Mallam Shuaibu says jokingly.