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What were the reactions you got when you cut your hair so low?
The first day I stepped out, some people were like, “what is this? Others said “well you look nice sha”. If I were to compare the two opinions, there are more people who love it. Only a small fraction of the people said I look like a small girl and nobody would know I have grown up kids. I said yes, let me compete with the kids; let them know that there’s somebody to look up to. So that my children won’t start growing so big and lose their shape at a teenage age. I am enjoying it. After a tedious day, I just go into the bathroom without a shower cap. I have also saved money. Sometimes when the hair is not long enough to trim, I just use the texturizer to make it look curlier. It makes a lot of economic sense to go for low-cut. It’s when you have your hair as long as 4-5 inches that you have to tong it, but when you cut with the smallest size of the clipper comb, it’s easy to brush through instead of going to the salon for any special styling. I do it myself. I treat my hair by myself, I colour myself if I need to because if I don’t colour it, everything is white.
(cuts in) Really?
(Laughs) That’s interesting. I started going grey at 25, so I’ve been in the business of grey for a long time. It has nothing to do with age; I’m barely 41, I’ll be 41 in August and I still feel young.
What informed your new look?
It’s something I’ve always looked forward to. I told myself when I was turning 40 that I want to still maintain my youthful look and wondered what I could do to sustain it. I was looking through a book and a 63-year-old lady said she went on low cut and everyone who saw her said “you look 40” so I thought, if I take this hair off, then I’ll remove like 10 years off the current age. So for me it was something I didn’t pray about. I just told myself I want to give it a try and when I started, it was with Anita Baker style. I was reducing it gradually just to be sure if it was something I really wanted to do. When I had the Anita Baker look for three weeks, people commented that I looked young and I kept experimenting because it was interesting. Three weeks later, I brought it lower and finally took everything off.
Do you miss spending time in the salon?
So many things have changed. I miss my hairdressers. They’ve been calling me and I know it’s like bad business for them because I go to the salon every week. I spent so much on Aunty Funmi hair, fixing my hair and looking good. One day, I asked myself who I was trying to look good for and the answer was me. Now I still look at the same mirror and nothing has changed about me. The only thing is that I’m more prudent. I had to dedicate a separate account for doing this. All the money that before now, I used to spend on buying Brazilian and Aunty Funmi, I put that money aside. Now I can use that money to help people and do other things. At weekends, I’m not thinking of the fact that I haven’t done my hair and I have to go to work on Monday. I am at peace with myself. I will encourage as many women out there who are still finding it difficult to make up their mind to go low; oh it’s worth doing! You will have more time for your family, you can cook when you are supposed to, unlike when you have to spend time queuing at the salon for your turn. Do we have all that time to waste? I know it requires courage to get it done but it is interesting. I used to believe I needed the weave to hold my gele, but it’s not true. I can still wear my headgear properly by taking it from the back and making it firm; it gives me the same look, nothing has changed. I’m more focused on positive things that would yield more results. You can still be yourself with your low-cut.
Let’s talk about your style…
I don’t look good to impress anybody; I want to impress myself. When I look at myself in the mirror, I want to be happy with what I see. From my glasses to my jewellery, I don’t buy things because everyone is buying it. I don’t do things because the crowd is following a particular direction. I try to carve out a niche and give myself that self-satisfaction. I am self-motivated; as long as something makes me happy, I’ll go for it. I don’t need anyone’s opinion when it comes to how I look; I cast my own vote in that area. So really, we can achieve anything when we’re happy with ourselves. Life is too short to live it unhappily. If you’re too fat and you think it makes you unhappy, then work on it. I used to weigh 93kg but I decided to burn at least 15kg and disciplined myself. I went on a diet plan and cut off all the bad meals and started eating healthy. I don’t eat rice, yam or bread because of their high calories. I used to go to the gym but it didn’t make me lose weight or reduce my BMI (Body Mass Index). I have a big frame, so anything I eat can make me blow up, but today, I’ve lost over 10kg in less than 3 weeks. I take only one serious meal a day. I do light breakfast and eat during the day but I don’t do dinner; as from 6pm, nothing goes in my mouth and my body has conformed to that now. So there’s nothing that is not achievable, it has to start from within. I check my weight every morning and monitoring it helps me shed any excess weight above 81kg. Some people say I’m becoming so religious about it but we need to stay healthy so that all the food we consume will not work against our system. You will pray less that way, you don’t need to bind and loose when you do the right thing. That is what God has given us- wisdom is profitable to direct.
Let’s talk about your favourite designers, starting with perfumes, what’s your favourite?
I use Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel, I don’t change perfumes. Before now, I used Gucci which is really nice, but as soon as I fell in love with Coco, that was it. It has become my signature scent. For clothing, I don’t like clothes that are too big. It shouldn’t be too revealing but it should bring out the shape-that’s the beauty of clothes.
Who’s your favourite clothes designer?
I design myself. I make most of my clothes here, including this one (she was wearing an elegant fitted black and silver suit that could pass for a Laura Ashley suit).
Do you have any particular skincare routine?
I use Forever Living products. I hardly change products. Even for my designs, the same person has been making my clothes for a long time. I had my hair stylist for a long time and now, I’ve been using the same barber since I cut my hair low. I apply the same principle in life- I try to keep my friends. People who knew me when I was nobody, I maintain them so that after everything, they’ll still be there to help in case one is weak. I have a Personal Assistant who’s been with me since 1999. My driver has been there for a long time. I don’t change my staff just like that. You must have a reason for leaving, I won’t just discharge you for no reason.
How do you balance your life as a pastor with your political office?
As a pastor, you’re expected to lead people. As a politician, you are representing human beings. So it’s similar. You find the same people in the church, outside the church. It now depends on who you are as a pastor. The kind of pastor I have always been, is a compassionate pastor, I take people’s issues as though it’s mine. In politics, I try to defend the interest of the general populace. So there’s really no shift in both roles. The only difference is the language; the language in the church is different from that of politics. When I was new in this office and people used some nasty words, I would say words like I bind you and that, was sort of my nickname but now they understand me. So when you leave the church you need to understand the new environment, then you can make an impact.
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