Inside The Nigerian Strip Clubs

Uzo Chikere                                                      

They are called Gentle Men’s Clubs. But indeed, they are clubs where young ladies dance almost nude at nights for fees. Known more as strip clubs, they are quite a recent phenomenon in the Nigerian entertainment industry as 10 to 15 years ago, such outfits were far removed from the country’s reality except watched in foreign movies.   

Today, strip clubs have become a constant feature in the Nigerian entertainment firmament, especially in Lagos where a considerable number of them operate to the amazement of a society that is still trying to come to terms with this recent development. Just as these clubs began gaining grounds and making noticeable inroads into the social arena with what many would regard as bizarre performances, a kamikaze raid was in 2009, launched by the police on the new fangled clubs on Allen Avenue. Solid Gold Club was among the victims of that raid and there were several pictures of nearly naked ladies exposed in the media.  

These damsels are a key ingredient of striptease whose function is indispensable in the operations of any strip club. And the police harassment did not put an end to the operations of the strip clubs either as the operators forged on, rebranding and reinventing their business in order to remain relevant or changing their tactics of trade.

The Wall Street Pub in Ikeja went ahead to portray itself as a corporate citizen doing business in that light, with its certificate of incorporation hanging on the wall. At this point, the Lagos residents who were only used to seeing striptease in foreign movies were unknowingly having strip clubs right in their domain. The age of innocence had gone forever.

What has become agitating in the minds of many Nigerians is: What makes these strip clubs tick? How do they get the strippers who oil the engine of their operation? And how does the component operatives get well remunerated in the entire play that does not look as tidy as puritans and moralists see the whole affair.

A peep into the strip clubs’ modus operandi by The Union revealed that the next compound to a residential building in one of the high brow locations of Lagos metropolis is a strip club. Amazingly, the occupants of such abode may not know for years what goes on in the compound next door. Again, most of these strip clubs are located in residential buildings; restructured to suit the requirements of such endeavour.

In spite of the look of the structure usually set within high walled fences, it is characteristic of a typical strip club to have in most cases, raised circular dance floors provided with poles to facilitate pole dance for the stripers during the main procedure of club activities. For instance, at The Cave stationed on Joel Ogunaike Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, there is a floor area designed for the clients to savour some form of exhibition for the striptease performance, which usually features a metal pole upon which dancers perform a number of gymnastic and titillating moves. This is called pole dancing and by any standard, Nigerian pole dancers can hold their own look anywhere in the world.

At The Cave just like the other gentle men’s clubs in various parts of Lagos, a keen observer will notice young ladies logging bags casually strolling into the premises one after the other from about 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. To the uninitiated, what does it matter if young women walk into a compound singly or in pairs in a steady manner? But they are the strippers who make the world in the strip clubs go round. Without them, there is nothing worth staying for in these clubs. As they make their way into the compound, they head straight to the courtyard; secure any improvised seat, banter among themselves whilst preparing for the dressing room. The bags contain their costumes and other tools of trade that they in due course find handy in the dressing room.  

In the club proper, there are rules. Despite that they are perceived as depraved, guests are expected to conduct themselves in civility. Usually, there is a common area were guests are allowed to freely move and interact. Customers are not allowed to wander into the employee area or the premium lounge (VIP Lounge). For a customer to be admitted to premium lounge also referred to as Champaign Lounge he or she must pay much more than the gate fee.  

Because the dancers are in the main, the soul of this business, operators stop at nothing in ensuring that their performances are well controlled for maximum value. Dancer rotation exists in a number of the strip clubs in town. This is a method where each dancer takes turn to perform in a fixed sequence, one or more songs repeated within a shift. While such clubs as Ocean Blue and Wall Street Pub function in that line, others which are not that formal adopt a method where a group of dancers take turns on a vacated stage. In this arrangement also, whatever number of entertainers at will freely go on and off the stage. This is what obtains in Club Unique. An available disc jockey may in this setting act as a compere, announcing the movement and what artistes on stage.

But there is always one question agitating the minds of the people concerning what or who these stripers are. Some regard them as mere prostitutes. They insist they are not whores. The Union accosted one of these strip dancers and under a strict condition of anonymity; she insisted that they are not women of easy virtue. With her visor on, she described what she does as “a job just like any other profession”, pointing out that “just as we go out to work at night, that’s how nurses go out at night to work and yet nobody considers them as prostitutes, we are all eking out a living, it is just that we entertain guests who need to be entertained for a token fee”.

Describing dancers as the prime medium by which the strip clubs trap,  hold and enlarge patronage, she disclosed that there are requirements for becoming a strip dancer. She said: “To become a strip dancer, physic, poise and dancing skill matter a lot”. She further informed that a would-be dancer must be 18 years and above with poise and personal hygiene.

Inside these clubs, when not dancing, the dancers walk around, interacting with customers from whom they solicit for drinks and lap dance. In this process, they glean to spot guests who can pay well and on discovering their target client, they move in to cajole and lure him. Subsequently, such a guest is treated to all manners of erotic display including wiggling and wriggling their bodies on his crouch while he is clothed. For such effort, the dancer is handsomely rewarded with cash which constitutes her pay, just as the club owners rake up revenue by selling drinks. 

Amazingly, these strip clubs attract their clients from among cream of the society as the minimum entry fee is =N=5,000.00. Among their customers are top ranking military men, the police, business moguls and the members of the academia. They come on both weekdays and weekends to amuse themselves in an environment so removed from the everyday people who may be living close by but can ill afford the kind of fees for admission.

Within and outside of the strip clubs there is tight security to ward off intruders and further ensure that those in attendance observe the rules guiding the affair. Bouncers are a critical component of the business and always on hand to throw out anybody who violates the rule or try to touch any of the dancers in any irreverent manner. Inside the strip clubs is a world of its own and those who can afford to gain entrance are gentle men. What they see most times remain for their eyes only; not to be told outside. Whether these clubs will expand and extend to other parts of the country remains to be seen. Only time will tel.  

Inside The Nigerian Strip Clubs
Uzo Chikere
They are called Gentle Men’s Clubs. But indeed, they are clubs where young ladies dance almost nude at nights for fees. Known more as strip clubs, they are quite a recent phenomenon in the Nigerian entertainment industry as 10 to 15 years ago, such outfits were far removed from the country’s reality except watched in foreign movies.  
Today, strip clubs have become a constant feature in the Nigerian entertainment firmament, especially in Lagos where a considerable number of them operate to the amazement of a society that is still trying to come to terms with this recent development. Just as these clubs began gaining grounds and making noticeable inroads into the social arena with what many would regard as bizarre performances, a kamikaze raid was in 2009, launched by the police on the new fangled clubs on Allen Avenue. Solid Gold Club was among the victims of that raid and there were several pictures of nearly naked ladies exposed in the media.
These damsels are a key ingredient of striptease whose function is indispensable in the operations of any strip club. And the police harassment did not put an end to the operations of the strip clubs either as the operators forged on, rebranding and reinventing their business in order to remain relevant or changing their tactics of trade.
The Wall Street Pub in Ikeja went ahead to portray itself as a corporate citizen doing business in that light, with its certificate of incorporation hanging on the wall. At this point, the Lagos residents who were only used to seeing striptease in foreign movies were unknowingly having strip clubs right in their domain. The age of innocence had gone forever.
What has become agitating in the minds of many Nigerians is: What makes these strip clubs tick? How do they get the strippers who oil the engine of their operation? And how does the component operatives get well remunerated in the entire play that does not look as tidy as puritans and moralists see the whole affair.
A peep into the strip clubs’ modus operandi by The Union revealed that the next compound to a residential building in one of the high brow locations of Lagos metropolis is a strip club. Amazingly, the occupants of such abode may not know for years what goes on in the compound next door. Again, most of these strip clubs are located in residential buildings; restructured to suit the requirements of such endeavour.
In spite of the look of the structure usually set within high walled fences, it is characteristic of a typical strip club to have in most cases, raised circular dance floors provided with poles to facilitate pole dance for the stripers during the main procedure of club activities. For instance, at The Cave stationed on Joel Ogunaike Street, Ikeja GRA, Lagos, there is a floor area designed for the clients to savour some form of exhibition for the striptease performance, which usually features a metal pole upon which dancers perform a number of gymnastic and titillating moves. This is called pole dancing and by any standard, Nigerian pole dancers can hold their own look anywhere in the world.

At The Cave just like the other gentle men’s clubs in various parts of Lagos, a keen observer will notice young ladies logging bags casually strolling into the premises one after the other from about 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. To the uninitiated, what does it matter if young women walk into a compound singly or in pairs in a steady manner? But they are the strippers who make the world in the strip clubs go round. Without them, there is nothing worth staying for in these clubs. As they make their way into the compound, they head straight to the courtyard; secure any improvised seat, banter among themselves whilst preparing for the dressing room. The bags contain their costumes and other tools of trade that they in due course find handy in the dressing room.

In the club proper, there are rules. Despite that they are perceived as depraved, guests are expected to conduct themselves in civility. Usually, there is a common area were guests are allowed to freely move and interact. Customers are not allowed to wander into the employee area or the premium lounge (VIP Lounge). For a customer to be admitted to premium lounge also referred to as Champaign Lounge he or she must pay much more than the gate fee.

Because the dancers are in the main, the soul of this business, operators stop at nothing in ensuring that their performances are well controlled for maximum value. Dancer rotation exists in a number of the strip clubs in town. This is a method where each dancer takes turn to perform in a fixed sequence, one or more songs repeated within a shift. While such clubs as Ocean Blue and Wall Street Pub function in that line, others which are not that formal adopt a method where a group of dancers take turns on a vacated stage. In this arrangement also, whatever number of entertainers at will freely go on and off the stage. This is what obtains in Club Unique. An available disc jockey may in this setting act as a compere, announcing the movement and what artistes on stage.
But there is always one question agitating the minds of the people concerning what or who these stripers are. Some regard them as mere prostitutes. They insist they are not whores. The Union accosted one of these strip dancers and under a strict condition of anonymity; she insisted that they are not women of easy virtue. With her visor on, she described what she does as “a job just like any other profession”, pointing out that “just as we go out to work at night, that’s how nurses go out at night to work and yet nobody considers them as prostitutes, we are all eking out a living, it is just that we entertain guests who need to be entertained for a token fee”.
Describing dancers as the prime medium by which the strip clubs trap,  hold and enlarge patronage, she disclosed that there are requirements for becoming a strip dancer. She said: “To become a strip dancer, physic, poise and dancing skill matter a lot”. She further informed that a would-be dancer must be 18 years and above with poise and personal hygiene.
Inside these clubs, when not dancing, the dancers walk around, interacting with customers from whom they solicit for drinks and lap dance. In this process, they glean to spot guests who can pay well and on discovering their target client, they move in to cajole and lure him. Subsequently, such a guest is treated to all manners of erotic display including wiggling and wriggling their bodies on his crouch while he is clothed. For such effort, the dancer is handsomely rewarded with cash which constitutes her pay, just as the club owners rake up revenue by selling drinks.

Amazingly, these strip clubs attract their clients from among cream of the society as the minimum entry fee is =N=5,000.00. Among their customers are top ranking military men, the police, business moguls and the members of the academia. They come on both weekdays and weekends to amuse themselves in an environment so removed from the everyday people who may be living close by but can ill afford the kind of fees for admission.

Within and outside of the strip clubs there is tight security to ward off intruders and further ensure that those in attendance observe the rules guiding the affair. Bouncers are a critical component of the business and always on hand to throw out anybody who violates the rule or try to touch any of the dancers in any irreverent manner. Inside the strip clubs is a world of its own and those who can afford to gain entrance are gentle men. What they see most times remain for their eyes only; not to be told outside. Whether these clubs will expand and extend to other parts of the country remains to be seen. Only time will tel.  

Guber Primaries: How Ex-ministers’ Loses will Affect 2015 Polls

Uzo Chikere

Elective office seekers on various political platforms, especially as governors have lost and won tickets this recent past. More are still to lose and win as the days gravitate towards the 2015 general elections in Nigeria.

The most hit are those who by commission or omission allotted to themselves elephantine sizes in the polity considering their presumed prominence in the public domain. Not just that they lost the tickets, they lost in most cases, to unknown quantities in the political terrain. They are especially those who had had their eyes fixed on their states’ gubernatorial race at next year’s polls

Among them are some Cabinet Ministers who had carried on in a manner symptomatic of heirs to their fathers’ thrones in their various states with divine guarantee of not just picking the tickets, but becoming the chief executives when the race would have been won (by them) and lost (by the outsiders).

The way these ministers had instantly resigned on October 15, 2014 from the cabinet to pursue their political career in spite of the seeming certainty of their posts would also appear that they have a solid stamp of victory in their next move. The same spirit in a way would have fired up some actors, musicians and comedians who had produced and pasted their posters on every space they could find announcing their bid to chase some parties’ tickets for various levels of elective political positions.

The amount of confidence and enthusiasm exuded by both these professional and new-fangled politicians at the time under review had probably beclouded their reasoning to the extent that they were carried away by the euphoria of their popularity that was either driven by continuous and repeated appearances on different media platforms while performing assigned roles or clear lack of the ability to draw the line between reality and make-belief.

Caught in this web of confusion were such Cabinet Ministers as Labaran Maku (Information), Emeka Wogu (Labour), Samuel Otorm (Aviationii), Onyebuchi Chukwu (Health), Musiliu Obanikoro (Defense ii) who all served under President Goodluck Jonathan. Nyesom Wike is the only erstwhile minister among them who scaled the governorship huddle to snatch from his rivals the ticket for Rivers State.

Keen observers of Nigerian politics watched as they all capitulated under the superior performance of rivals some of whom had never before held counsellorship position at all. Could it be that these former ministers and even their counterparts from the entertainment industry who suddenly became adjunct politicians underrated the people who have recently started reading in between the lines? Or was it that they had immersed themselves so deeply in self-delusion and not knowing that to talk the walk is not the same as to walk the talk?

Former Health Minister, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu lost his bid in Ebonyi State‎ to Engr. Dave Umahi while Maku, the ex-Information Minister was beaten to it in Nasarawa State by a businessman Yusuf Agabi, who scored 214 against 160 votes garnered by Maku.

In Abia State, the former Labour Minister, Wogu’s dream was killed by a landslide victory posted by Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, the candidate of outgoing Governor Theodore Orji.

Coming second, was Uche Ogah with 103 votes, just as the former labour minister struggled to rake up 33 votes to come a very distant third.

In Lagos, the former Minister of Defence (State), Musiliu Obanikoro lost to Jimi Agbaje who recently joined the PDP. Obanikoro claimed the election was rigged and has vowed to lodge an appeal with the party’s appeal committee.

Erstwhile Minister of state for aviation, Samuel Ortom came third in the governorship primary held in Benue state which was won by Terhemen Tarzoor, the former speaker of the State House of Assembly with 517 votes. Deputy Governor, Steven Lawani, came second with 311 votes, while Ortom got 111 votes, followed by former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Sam Odeh with 48 votes.

Given this scenario, will the mighty fall in the 2015 polls? Some respondents are of the view that it can only point to the fact that performance, human relation and accountability will come in to play in the determination of who gets elected by the electorate in the future. They further hold that if at the party level these personages could not fly in the primaries it calls to question what level of internal relation they maintained within their party and the members from whom the delegates were constituted.

Another school of thought believes that elections in Nigeria will be won based on positive impact of governance on the ordinary people rather than verbal engagement of the people which has been an age old tool used by politicians during their campaign runs across the states and the country. In the current scheme of things, political gerrymandering is obviously giving way to practical, pragmatic and verifiable projects that will be of immense and rip able benefit to all concerned.

As swift and smooth the primaries might have appeared, there are still some elements of doubt among those who had lost out in the contest irrespective of its fairness or otherwise. Most especially, a handful of aspirants whose mien and style towards the build up to the fray gave themselves away as the anointed ones with divine guarantee to emerge victorious at the various primaries.

Although, the former Minister of State for Niger Delta, Mr Darius Ishaku, also won the Taraba State governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the second of the seven that resigned from the Jonathan administration that survived the governorship primaries in the states alongside Nyesom Wike, former minister of state for education, who snatched the ticket in Rivers State, there are palpable fears that the loses might affect the anticipated gains that the ruling party expects to record in the 2015 polls as some of the ministers have even defected to other parties to achieve theis political ambitions.

Ortom, who ended third in the PDP primary in his state, having been floored by Tehemen Tarzoor, who emerged the party’s candidate, has already obtained the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship nomination form, barely 24 hours later, returning his PDP membership card to Felix Agbaka, the ward chairman of Nzorov in Guma local government area of the state .

In a statement signed by Tahav Agerzua, his Media Adviser, Ortom stated that his defection was in response to his supporters’ advice to seek an alternative platform for the realisation of his aspiration.

It noted Ortom’s determination to win the election and appealed to delegates to vote for his candidature to foster unity and development in the state and country.

Speculations are rife that former Minister of State for Health, Muhammad Ali Pate, who contested the governorship primary election under the PDP in Bauchi State and lost, may defect to the People’s Democratic Movement (PDM).

From every indication, there seems to be a rising wave of disaffection within the ranks of the ruling party with regard to the harvest of its former ministers’ defeat at the last governorship primaries and how that will affect the coming elections can only be for time to tell. 

My Debut Album Is Call For Change

… Eckobig

The Nigerian music scene is daily churning out new talents spreading one form of message or the other for a better society. One of such new voices is Eckobig Chidiebere Anthony, who has just released a promotional single track into the music arena. In this interview with Uzo Chikere and Blessed Mudiaga Adjekpagbon, he beams on his passion for music and sundry issues. Enjoy:

What does the name Eckobig stand for?

It means uncommon grace and unusual favour. The name was given to me by God Himself.

Did God come down from heaven to give you the name?

(He laughs loudly, amused by the question). After I gave my life to Christ in 2007, God gave me the name through divine inspiration. It is just like the story of Jacob who became Israel in the Holy Bible, which signifies that old things have passed away and new beginning has come.

What genre of music do you play?

My music is based on contemporary issues like child abuse, terrorism, rape, kidnapping, and so on, that are commonplace in the world today. It sounds secular but my songs are inspired by biblical messages to make a positive change in listeners’ minds.

What is the title of your first album?

My first single from my up-coming album is titled Change! Yes We Can. The video is already out and is being promoted on Youtube, facebook, and some other blogs portals. I have more than 1000 likes and 5000 followers within two months. It is a frontrunner for an upcoming seven-track album. It is a blend of R&B, rap and soul. DOC, Kelly, 2MS and Peace are some of the artistes that feature in the album.

What is your reason for choosing music as a medium to effect change?

Music is an effective avenue to express your motives for people to key in. Though, there is no marketer for the work now, I am not being limited or discouraged by that. I depend more on social media and conventional media to make it reach the public.

Who produced the album and what plans are in place to market it?  

The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by E-Base in E-Base studios. Marketing in terms of physical distribution of the work will come later.

Where is your state of origin?

I am from Umuomaku in Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State. I attended Union Secondary School, Umuomaku. I finished my secondary education in 1997.

If you are asked to describe yourself, what would you say? 

I am an entrepreneur; artiste and motivational speaker that love to motivate budding artistes. I believe in the philosophy that the sky is only a starting point in terms of more songs I am preparing to release. This single is not just a flash in the pan project.

Why did you prefer playing music instead of furthering your education?

It is not as if I am not interested in furthering my education. The poor background I came from was responsible for my non-furtherance for some time, but I am planning to enroll soon into the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN). I went into business after my secondary education, and after three years, I left my master with the hope of travelling abroad for greener pastures. My efforts to travel out to Europe or America fell like a pack of cards when I was duped by fraudsters’.

Can it be assumed that you like music more than education considering that you came out with a musical single at the expense of education?

There is a time frame for everything in life. Education is good, but there are certain things you need to do at the right time as the inspiration comes, otherwise you may never have the opportunity to actualize them again. That is the spirit of music. In my own philosophy, an educated person is someone who knows how to get what he/she wants, not necessarily the ability to read or write, but reasoning well.

What type of change are you using your music to propagate?

I want to see a changed world restored to peace, righteousness, goodness, and free from bribery, corruption, brutality, hostility, terrorism and racism. That is the idea behind the album’s title.

Do you think that the change you are looking for could be possible soon?

It may not happen immediately, but the change in American democracy which brought President Barack Obama to power today was envisioned by Martin Luther King Jnr, many years before it came to reality. I also want a general change in the ways things are done in our country. I wonder why Nigeria cannot be well organized like some well administered foreign countries. Many times I travelled to Dubai and Qatar, I wondered why our country cannot be well planned and organized like them, even when we have the resources that surpass theirs. It is a question of changing our general attitude in the ways we manage our environment and resources.

Where do you expect the change to start from?

The change should begin from everybody, but most especially from our leaders. The youths no longer have focus for integrity and hard work because of the way many elders behave these days. Lack of focus and credible role models are part of the things affecting youths, which we need to change.

COSON Set For 2014 Copyright Royalties Distribution
Uzo Chikere
Members of the Copyright Society of Nigeria (COSON) will on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 pass a resolution to approve the distribution of this year’s music copyright royalties which is expected to commence instantaneously.
The General Manager of the collecting society, Chinedu Chukwuji who made the disclosure without stating the amount earmarked, said that the resolution would be a prominent part of the body’s Annual General Meeting AGM billed to hold at the Oranmiyan Hall, Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos.
Speaking further on this year’s distribution, Chukwuji said:  “At COSON, we remain committed to our cause to ensure that right owners are rewarded for their music exploited. In spite of the economic downturn, COSON continues to ensure that at the end of the day, right owners can smile. We want to assure all our members and affiliates that we would not rest on our oars until we get to the place of our dreams, which is a more vibrant and rewarding music industry where intellectual property is given the respect it deserves”.
In her remark, female artiste and COSON Board member, Azeezat Allen said, “I am always very proud to be a member of COSON. If I was told few years back that a system like this would work in Nigeria, I would have laughed my head off in mockery. But right before my eyes, not only do we have such a system in place, it is being run efficiently. Come December 16, COSON members can be sure of a good Christmas and end of year celebration.”
The annual distribution by COSON is in line with the society’s core mandate to license the use of music and to distribute royalties to right owners. This would be the 4th time in a row since its approval in 2010 that COSON will live up to its mandate in ensuring that right owners are adequately compensated with what is their due.