Presidential Running Mates: What Chances For PDP, APC

Uzo Chikere

The race is straight between just two parties. It will not matter whether there are other close to 50 political parties fielding some persons masquerading as presidential candidates. But by the time the electorate would have spoken on February 14, 2015, either Mohammdu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress APC presidential candidate or the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP presidential flag bearer, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Though the build-up to the impending poll has been fraught with more of war of words, accusations, claims and counter claims by the two prominent contending parties, it is not clear that both have actually in clear terms told the citizenry how they will positively impact on the populace should they emerge victorious.

While APC is coming to town with its credo of change, scarcely has the party and its operational organs sold to the people what manner of change they are bringing to bear on the polity. But what is a constant feature of their proposition to the electorate is that there is the overriding need for change given that 16 years in the saddle by PDP has nothing to show for it. APC is therefore deploying every weapon in its arsenal to ensure that its desired change becomes a reality come 2015. But for a party which has over the years undergone a series of metamorphoses and has never controlled power at the centre before, and considering the fact that it is a battle of wresting power from the ruling PDP which prides itself on being the largest political party in Africa, it is an uphill task.

Presently, PDP which is basking in the euphoria of its incumbency seems to be showing off its transformation agenda with its components of structural development, rehabilitation of the rail transport, improvement of airports, establishment of new federal universities and the like as reason its candidate to be reelected.

Even as APC as opposition may not be pointing to such developments, it has to resolve to bloody the ruling party’s nose at the polls with the fielding of a retired army general, Buhari who has picked as his running mate, an academic, technocrat in the person of Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is also a legal luminary and pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG.

Although, it took six days of what APC chieftains described as consultations and assessment for their presidential flag bearer, Buhari to pick his running mate, many an observer regard the choice as the party’s trump card in the contest between Buhari and Jonathan in the race to Aso Rock in 2015. For this school of thought, the choice of Prof. Osinbajo was well thought out and will spell huge political asset for APC at the polls.

The role and personality of a presidential running mate in any polity during an election year goes to a large extent to affect how the voters will cast their ballots at the polls, and the whole essence did not seem to have been lost on both the APC and its presidential candidate as 2015 draws close. Presenting Professor Osinbajo to the party, Buhari said he had chosen a man of unimpeachable character, pointing out that the method employed in choosing his running mate was meticulous but rigorous. According to him:         

“I have chosen a man of unimpeachable integrity, an excellent professional, a man of faith, a devoted family man and a role model to our fellow countrymen and women. He is a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, aAn alumnus of the University of Lagos and the London School of Economics.

“He is a prodigious author who has to his credit several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts.

“The vice-presidential candidate is a friend of the less privileged, compassionate and zealous in service. A man of uncommon humility, a loyal, dependable and selfless patriot. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, who by the grace of God, and the vote of Nigerians, will be the next vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

In the consideration those who well understand the country’s political terrain, APC seems to have got it right with the choice of Osinbajo, a senior pastor (RCCG) who rates as one of the richest pastors in the country even though he rarely exudes affluence. He is currently a pastor at Olive Tree House of Prayer for All Nations, Banana Island, a parish of the RCCG.

Boasting 14,000 branches in Nigeria and outposts in 110 countries, RCCG has an estimated membership population of five million in Nigeria alone. Given the country’s polarity along religious lines, observers postulate that the choice of Osinbajo is a deft political calculation that will obliterate the religious card being played by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

As a highly revered pastor in RCCG, it is the belief of many followers of Nigeria’s political development that he stands the chance of garnering in the RCCG five million votes, with Christian sympathizers across the country aligning in that direction to clinch the number two position in the country if eventually APC wrests power from the ruling PDP in the 2015 general election at the national level.

In his opinion,Pastor Bukola Johnson, a pastor with the RCCG, holds that ”Osinbajo is a man of integrity. His pairing with General Muhammadu Buhari will save the country from the quagmire of corruption it found itself. Right now, Nigerians are longing for leaders that have integrity that would liberate them from the mess of under-development that corruption has plunged the country.”

An aspirant for the APC presidential ticket, Sam Nda-Isaiah who lost to Buhari is in agreement that the combination of Buhari and Osinbajo will spell well for the party at the polls. In a congratulatory message to the duo, he said:   

“It is noteworthy that the announcement of Osinbajo, a distinguished professor of law and a man of strong integrity as running mate, is coinciding with the 72 birthday of General Buhari who has served this country selflessly. I am confident that the candidates will lead the APC to victory in the forthcoming elections and pledge my support to this cause.”

“It is noteworthy that the announcement of Osinbajo, a distinguished professor of law and a man of strong integrity as running mate, is coinciding with the 72 birthday of General Buhari who has served this country selflessly. I am confident that the candidates will lead the APC to victory in the forthcoming elections and pledge my support to this cause.”

By the choice of the professor of law, APC Has averted the trap being laid against it should it float a Muslim-Muslim ticket, providing a balance and further equating the pair with Jonathan-Sambo card in PDP.

There is this aspect of Osinbajo’s selection which some pundits think may also have thrown some Yoruba leaders, elders and potential voters into indecision. The astute lawyer is a native of Ikenne, Ogun State, the home of the sage and late Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The romance between the Awolowo clan and the PDP leadership a familiar existence, with its siblings as beneficiaries of federal government’s appointments since 1999. Segun, a grandson of Chief Hannah Awolowo, remains a Special Adviser in the President Jonathan administration. How this will affect APC’s political fortunes in the west can only be conjectured.

For Namadi Sambo, vice president and running mate to PDP presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, is likely going to be challenged by the struggle to sway the north in favour of PDP and its presidential flag bearer which in the view of those who know his rating in the area might be an uphill task. This according to them will even be worse as Jonathan’s popularity is plummeting presently in that region.

For a man who lost in the polling booth in his in his home, and his constituency in the 2011presidential election, the question agitating the minds of a lot of people is how much value Sambo can attract to the re-election bid of the president especially considering that some founding members of PDP in his state decamped to the opposition APC of recent.

A member of the PDP in Chikaji ward of the Sabon Gari area of Kaduna state, Umar, said that Namadi’s problem was how to deal with the people that matter most. “It is only when somebody has a strong base at home that he can expand his political empire to other areas. I am a PDP member, but in my opinion, politics is all about people. But when you cage yourself either in a state or federal government house and expect that your people would be with you, it is surely an unrealistic dream.
“As a politician, one has to also show a high level of commitment in the interests of his people. People are supposed to see a politician occupying a certain position as their representative. One has to be up and doing in defending the interest of his people and addressing their concerns. Those are some of the things that endear a given politician to his people. But when people are killed and maimed and you remain docile because you are a loyal deputy, it is certainly a way of attracting the people’s wrath.
“If the truth must be told, in my opinion, the VP cannot even deliver his hometown, Zaria not to talk of his local government of residence, Kaduna North. It is therefore impossible for him to win, not even now that most Northerners are nursing serious grudges against this government,” Umar said.
In the same vein, Ambassador Sule Buba, a former ally of the vice president, said Nigerians are now clamouring for change. “The wind of change is blowing everywhere in Nigeria and it is, therefore, difficult for Sambo to make serious inroad in states of the North.”

In the main, the die is cast and whatever the presidential running mates will bring to bear on their candidacy in terms of influence, character and carriage will determine their fortune at the polls.

Presidential Running Mates: What Chances For PDP, APC

Uzo Chikere

The race is straight between just two parties. It will not matter whether there are other close to 50 political parties fielding some persons masquerading as presidential candidates. But by the time the electorate would have spoken on February 14, 2015, either Mohammdu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress APC presidential candidate or the ruling People’s Democratic Party PDP presidential flag bearer, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan would become the next president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Though the build-up to the impending poll has been fraught with more of war of words, accusations, claims and counter claims by the two prominent contending parties, it is not clear that both have actually in clear terms told the citizenry how they will positively impact on the populace should they emerge victorious.

While APC is coming to town with its credo of change, scarcely has the party and its operational organs sold to the people what manner of change they are bringing to bear on the polity. But what is a constant feature of their proposition to the electorate is that there is the overriding need for change given that 16 years in the saddle by PDP has nothing to show for it. APC is therefore deploying every weapon in its arsenal to ensure that its desired change becomes a reality come 2015. But for a party which has over the years undergone a series of metamorphoses and has never controlled power at the centre before, and considering the fact that it is a battle of wresting power from the ruling PDP which prides itself on being the largest political party in Africa, it is an uphill task.

Presently, PDP which is basking in the euphoria of its incumbency seems to be showing off its transformation agenda with its components of structural development, rehabilitation of the rail transport, improvement of airports, establishment of new federal universities and the like as reason its candidate to be reelected.

Even as APC as opposition may not be pointing to such developments, it has to resolve to bloody the ruling party’s nose at the polls with the fielding of a retired army general, Buhari who has picked as his running mate, an academic, technocrat in the person of Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is also a legal luminary and pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG.

Although, it took six days of what APC chieftains described as consultations and assessment for their presidential flag bearer, Buhari to pick his running mate, many an observer regard the choice as the party’s trump card in the contest between Buhari and Jonathan in the race to Aso Rock in 2015. For this school of thought, the choice of Prof. Osinbajo was well thought out and will spell huge political asset for APC at the polls.

The role and personality of a presidential running mate in any polity during an election year goes to a large extent to affect how the voters will cast their ballots at the polls, and the whole essence did not seem to have been lost on both the APC and its presidential candidate as 2015 draws close. Presenting Professor Osinbajo to the party, Buhari said he had chosen a man of unimpeachable character, pointing out that the method employed in choosing his running mate was meticulous but rigorous. According to him:         

“I have chosen a man of unimpeachable integrity, an excellent professional, a man of faith, a devoted family man and a role model to our fellow countrymen and women. He is a professor of law and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, aAn alumnus of the University of Lagos and the London School of Economics.

“He is a prodigious author who has to his credit several books on civil procedure in Nigerian superior courts.

“The vice-presidential candidate is a friend of the less privileged, compassionate and zealous in service. A man of uncommon humility, a loyal, dependable and selfless patriot. Ladies and Gentlemen, I present Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, who by the grace of God, and the vote of Nigerians, will be the next vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

In the consideration those who well understand the country’s political terrain, APC seems to have got it right with the choice of Osinbajo, a senior pastor (RCCG) who rates as one of the richest pastors in the country even though he rarely exudes affluence. He is currently a pastor at Olive Tree House of Prayer for All Nations, Banana Island, a parish of the RCCG.

Boasting 14,000 branches in Nigeria and outposts in 110 countries, RCCG has an estimated membership population of five million in Nigeria alone. Given the country’s polarity along religious lines, observers postulate that the choice of Osinbajo is a deft political calculation that will obliterate the religious card being played by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

As a highly revered pastor in RCCG, it is the belief of many followers of Nigeria’s political development that he stands the chance of garnering in the RCCG five million votes, with Christian sympathizers across the country aligning in that direction to clinch the number two position in the country if eventually APC wrests power from the ruling PDP in the 2015 general election at the national level.

In his opinion,Pastor Bukola Johnson, a pastor with the RCCG, holds that ”Osinbajo is a man of integrity. His pairing with General Muhammadu Buhari will save the country from the quagmire of corruption it found itself. Right now, Nigerians are longing for leaders that have integrity that would liberate them from the mess of under-development that corruption has plunged the country.”

An aspirant for the APC presidential ticket, Sam Nda-Isaiah who lost to Buhari is in agreement that the combination of Buhari and Osinbajo will spell well for the party at the polls. In a congratulatory message to the duo, he said:   

“It is noteworthy that the announcement of Osinbajo, a distinguished professor of law and a man of strong integrity as running mate, is coinciding with the 72 birthday of General Buhari who has served this country selflessly. I am confident that the candidates will lead the APC to victory in the forthcoming elections and pledge my support to this cause.”

“It is noteworthy that the announcement of Osinbajo, a distinguished professor of law and a man of strong integrity as running mate, is coinciding with the 72 birthday of General Buhari who has served this country selflessly. I am confident that the candidates will lead the APC to victory in the forthcoming elections and pledge my support to this cause.”

By the choice of the professor of law, APC Has averted the trap being laid against it should it float a Muslim-Muslim ticket, providing a balance and further equating the pair with Jonathan-Sambo card in PDP.

There is this aspect of Osinbajo’s selection which some pundits think may also have thrown some Yoruba leaders, elders and potential voters into indecision. The astute lawyer is a native of Ikenne, Ogun State, the home of the sage and late Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The romance between the Awolowo clan and the PDP leadership a familiar existence, with its siblings as beneficiaries of federal government’s appointments since 1999. Segun, a grandson of Chief Hannah Awolowo, remains a Special Adviser in the President Jonathan administration. How this will affect APC’s political fortunes in the west can only be conjectured.

For Namadi Sambo, vice president and running mate to PDP presidential candidate, Goodluck Jonathan, is likely going to be challenged by the struggle to sway the north in favour of PDP and its presidential flag bearer which in the view of those who know his rating in the area might be an uphill task. This according to them will even be worse as Jonathan’s popularity is plummeting presently in that region.

For a man who lost in the polling booth in his in his home, and his constituency in the 2011presidential election, the question agitating the minds of a lot of people is how much value Sambo can attract to the re-election bid of the president especially considering that some founding members of PDP in his state decamped to the opposition APC of recent.

A member of the PDP in Chikaji ward of the Sabon Gari area of Kaduna state, Umar, said that Namadi’s problem was how to deal with the people that matter most. “It is only when somebody has a strong base at home that he can expand his political empire to other areas. I am a PDP member, but in my opinion, politics is all about people. But when you cage yourself either in a state or federal government house and expect that your people would be with you, it is surely an unrealistic dream.
“As a politician, one has to also show a high level of commitment in the interests of his people. People are supposed to see a politician occupying a certain position as their representative. One has to be up and doing in defending the interest of his people and addressing their concerns. Those are some of the things that endear a given politician to his people. But when people are killed and maimed and you remain docile because you are a loyal deputy, it is certainly a way of attracting the people’s wrath.
“If the truth must be told, in my opinion, the VP cannot even deliver his hometown, Zaria not to talk of his local government of residence, Kaduna North. It is therefore impossible for him to win, not even now that most Northerners are nursing serious grudges against this government,” Umar said.
In the same vein, Ambassador Sule Buba, a former ally of the vice president, said Nigerians are now clamouring for change. “The wind of change is blowing everywhere in Nigeria and it is, therefore, difficult for Sambo to make serious inroad in states of the North.”

In the main, the die is cast and whatever the presidential running mates will bring to bear on their candidacy in terms of influence, character and carriage will determine their fortune at the polls.

Night Clubs That Are On History’s Dump

Uzo Chikere

Revelers used to have problem choosing what night club to hang out. Guys and dolls eager to stay out the night and mingle would engage each other in debate as to which of the celebrity hang-out to patronise hours on end. Then night clubs competed for spaces and locations in Lagos and other cities of Nigeria. From Surulere through Yaba, Apapa, Ikeja, to Maryland as well as Ikoyi and Victoria Island as well as other parts of the country were these fun spots administering to the needs of revelers. Presently, it is hardly the case in the centre of excellence and elsewhere. Where they still exist, they operate haphazardly.

What obtain now are outfits masquerading at best, as night clubs whilst presenting motley of services ranging from music presentation, car wash, drinks to even barbing saloons and barbecue.   

The celebrity hangouts then were robust in delivering the full services required of fully fledged night clubs and providing opportunities for budding artistes to showcase their talent which earned many of them recoding deals with notable recording companies. Today, they have all gone under. Some that have struggled to remain have become mere events centres.

There was in Maryland, Lagos in the ‘80’s, Lords Club, regarded as the most prestigious amongst its types. Located on Ikorodu Road, Lords was powered by elite membership of socialites whose periodic renewal fees supported the effective and efficient running of its affairs just as artistes’ performances which attracted admittance fee by the public boosted sales of drinks and other edibles on weekends. Being a card-carrying member of Lords smacked of class and real taste. All that has become history.

Nigerians generally love night clubbing to the extent that people occupying leadership positions in government and the private sector also avail themselves any available opportunity to scoop the the benefits of night-outs in these clubs.

Peak Night Club was one of them back in the days, and it reigned supreme on Adeniran Ogunsanya Street, Surulere. Although it perched on a one of Nigeria’s foremost commercial banks in a three-story affair, Peak which was at its peak in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, enjoyed huge patronage both on week days and weekends, attracting massive crowd of revelers that sought real entertainment through music from the wheel of steel manned by DJ Prince 2000, assorted drinks, consorting with women and lapping it up with hot dog available at bugger shops dotted within the premises of then Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Complex. Peak Night Club is no more.

So also is Class Night Club which provided classy fun for “class mates” on Awolowo Way, Ikeja. The club founded in the ’80’s by all round entertainer and compere, late John Chukwu and some friends, was also membership based. Its members comprising top professionals, business moguls, top civil servants among other people of good means, were christened Class Mates. Class indeed, provided for Lagos socialites a veritable avenue and venue to generally unwind, catch the much needed fun in those days of the military jack boot and the era of austerity measure. John Chukwu seemed to have died with the club he founded.

The Custom officer founder of Roots Nite Club is very much alive and kicking but the club tucked away right inside Ipodo community in Ikeja barely exists in a one storey building. The club which has perpetually struggled to survive, despite going ahead to rebrand with the name, New Roots Night Club is quite a shadow of itself. Safe for the dance floor, large speakers and what would only pass for a semblance of rope lights, Roots has no service that tallies with those associated with real night clubs. The emphasis here is serving beer, fried meet, pepper soup and ladies for the taking in any of the rooms up-stairs.   

Wzobia Nigth Club is not any different. Located in Apapa, it used to be the place to go every weekend. But the place has completely lost all that made it a night club. Apart from massive sales of drinks, roast beef, and ladies hunting for male preys, coupled with highly noisy music, it is presently bereft of any modicum of activity with which to identify the place as a night club. The decency associated with night clubs has long deserted the place, leaving it as just a tavern.

The stories of these night clubs may be reminiscent of those of the ancient empires that rose to their peaks and eventually declined, bringing to mind Nite Shift which later became Coliseum inside Opebi, Ikeja. Described not too long ago as the largest celebrity hangout in Africa, it is presently sliding from its height. At the moment, Coliseum that introduced membership in different categories of ordinary, silver, and gold, is more into hosting events. The high wire programmes it used to stage have all gone to bed. Such projects as Grand House Reception, Nollywood Night among others have given way to wedding receptions, birthday parties and the likes.

Across the country night clubs kept coming and going over time. Joekeh Night Club was based on Tafawa Balewa Way, Jos and used to attract quite a large crowd of fee-paying fun seekers. Floated by successful business man, Joseph Kehinde, the club occupied in the minds of its patrons, a symbol of class and prestige. A visit to Jos without hanging out in Joekeh at the time meant that the trip was incomplete. That was in the past, as it has gone into oblivion presently. As these clubs jostled for spaces in every city, so also were they destined to be consigned to the huge hip of history in time.

Hornolulu Hyke had its place on Zaria Road, Jos where it was the night club to beat in its hay days. But it suffered the same fate. Some of the artistes that later became big started miming their songs at Hornolulu Hyke. With its clientele base as largely successful traders and business men, the club was in good stead to provide quality services that could equal those of its kind anywhere. But time and age, as they say do not favour beauty, so unable to sustain such services on account of poor management, it went down.

Hamdala Night Club was the delight of any upwardly mobile youth in Kaduna. The club which reigned in the ‘80’s changed the views of those who held that the northern city was just about government administration and civil service. Hamdala in its days provided a very convivial and vibrant atmosphere for residents of Kaduna to dance, drink, eat and network. The music unleashed via the turntable was sweet and a lively crowd gathered for the revels. Today, it is a by-gone.

Change Nite Club was located at Dogon Karfe, Jos. The club seemed to have emerged at the time to bring a change in night clubbing with its first ever pit dance floor. For the innovation it brought to the scene, everybody was eager to be part of the happenings at Change. Those who considered themselves as fashionable and possessing the where with all trooped to the club to catch their fun big time. Change really took the Tin City by a great storm. But it was never meant to last forever, and so the party was over and the lights were out. 

But it is natural that there will always be an end to a beginning. What might have led to the demise of some of these fun hangouts is not specific.  However some followers of the entertainment industry hold that lack of innovative ideas could be responsible for their decline, arguing that when promoters of such business which thrives on ideas run out of such it will certainly crumble.

According to Jude Nwauzo, a former entertainment journalist, those clubs that made waves over the years are going down or went down is not totally different from the Nigerian attitude of doing business, which is largely short term in nature. Jude further pointed out that “most businesses in Nigeria including investors in night clubs start such business plans and so from the beginning, they not sustainable”.

The cost and difficulty of doing business in Nigeria, he said, cannot be ruled out in this case, adding that the deteriorating security situation in the country which has gradually and deeply affected night life in most major cities are factors contributing to the closure of some of these clubs. Again, when this business largely depends on generators which consume fuel coupled with hash economic environment that adversely affects patronage, many promoters would be bound to be discouraged and eventually their clubs start folding up.

Another reason advanced is the fact that many of the night clubs were established as a means of diverting public’s attention from the main concern of some of the owners which may not be too decent in a civilized society. A regular night clubber in the ‘80’s who spoke on condition of anonymity, made this assertion even as he insisted that some the owners in that category would rather focus their attention on other issues when feel there was no more need for the night club which shielded them from the prying eyes of the public.

Despite their decline, the beat still goes on as new clubs keep springing up in cities across the country.

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.