TUNDE AYANDA reports on tales of despair and agony as night life for Nigerians in Ibadan dry out due to economic issues.
The street is not smiling! That’s the local parlance occupying the space at motor parks such as Ketu, Ojota, Oshodi, Abule-Egba, down to Challenge Park in Ibadan. Even in Osogbo and almost all around the Southwest, it’s the same story and truly the light has dimmed from the parks that used to be bubbling grounds of merriment and activities. They now wear a look of dejection. What is left is just a shade of hope, of people living, hinging their survival on hope.
“Nah beer I dey take to relax, I don’t carry women, I don’t smoke…I go just take my four bottles of Goldberg and cow tail after I finish from work and go home, but now, I can’t even afford one. Beer nah my life support, now dem don cut am’.
The narrative of Jelili Alao, a commercial bus driver plying Lagos to Ibadan from the Ojota Motor Park in Lagos was rather funny, but his serious demeanour tells it all. This is a man who is not having it easy as he confirms “I don’t know what to do, I just want to sleep and wake up the next day.”
Ibrahim, a conductor at the Ketu park had a similar view “Me I don’t take beer o! I drink my pelebe (sachet drink), now dem say dem wan ban am, nah these drinks dey give us the energy to cope with the situation. Dem wan kill us?” The young man menacingly asked while displaying a face that would scare even the bravest of men.
Pubs, joints, and hangouts are feeling the heat, yes! you will see throngs of people huddling here and there. An entertainer, Keanzo gave a hint “you will see cars everywhere outside and see crowd, nah lie! They just want to leave the house, they are not drinking like before.”
Keanzo, owner of Amuludun by Kultage lounge in Ibadan expressed his worries at the current level of patronage at his place.
The young man whose hangout is modeled after the African Shrine in Lagos explained that the present situation has not been friendly. He maintained that the cost of diesel, drinks, and gas is affecting his sales.
Keanzo wasn’t the only person experiencing such. The convener of Beard Gang, Akintayo Akinade whose rave, “Party With Pivotal” ranks amongst the city’s biggest youth hangouts, also lamented saying “the economy has affected everything. You can understand what is more important to people is food and other daily needs. I can’t compare the party I had some days ago with the one we had in December. You need to know how much went into logistics, and this is a party we powered without any sponsors, that’s our situation as we are self- employed and also looking for means to make ends meet. We have a family to take care of, kids to send to school. The government should do something about the situation.”
Ibadan on a Friday brews a pot-pourri of activities. A day for revelers to unwind and relax after the week’s hard work. Sadly, the street does not agree anymore.
Major areas like Bodija, Ring Road, Jericho, and other high brows known as the city’s hub for premium experience no longer live up to what they were. The cost of choice drinks like Hennessy, Azul, Martell, Don Julio etc has skyrocketed. A bottle of Casamigo at the upscale Sluggers Nightclub in Bodija sells for 350,000 and Hennessy XO at the popular Mauve Lounge on Ring Road, Ibadan goes for 550,000 Naira. It isn’t business as usual. Nightclub patronage has reduced drastically.
Optimum Drinks, Ibadan CEO, whose brand supplies all the premium drinks to nightclubs, dropped a hint ‘ I only sell products and service other consumers that walk into my store, I notice people are cutting their coats and going for lower brands to substitute for the expensive drinks. The patronage from nightclubs has dropped. But the funniest part is that no matter the economy, people still drink, just that they’ve moved from premium to regular. Another angle is that some selected people stick to what they drink. They only cut down the volume’.
Another soul-wrenching story comes from one of Ibadan’s hottest disc jockeys, Gavpop. The entertainer, a multiple award-winning DJ who hosts a popular rave in the city, confessed ‘I’ve placed my Party Invasion this year on pending. This should be our 6th edition, but it’s frustrating as we can’t find sponsors and the price of drinks and other logistics is blowing the roof off. We hardly get invited to play at gigs and parties anymore, big celebrations and parties are now low-key, life is becoming harder.”
A businessman and CEO of Ladolz Events, Charles Olusegun narrowed how the economy has impacted his business to three.
The economic downturn has reduced disposable income for consumers. When people have less money to spend, they are likely to cut back on non-essential expenses such as dining out, going to bars or clubs, and attending entertainment events.
This has resulted in low turnout at nightlife venues and entertainment centers as people prioritize essential expenses over leisure activities. I live across Richbam petrol station at Akala express. My visit to Bond Lounge has reduced from an average of 4 times per week to about 1 or 2 times because I have to cut the cost of relaxation and divert same to buying more food at home. My last visit to that lounge saw a lot of empty seats, which gave me the true insight that consumption points/relaxation centers are getting hit on daily basis orchestrated by consumer choice of staying at home, which has also increased bonding in the family.
As an Ice block producer, I have been badly affected by the economic situation in several ways. Because outlet owners and my vendors, as well as consumers are cutting back on non-essential spending. They have reduced purchase of ice for their parties, events, and recreational activities. As this is happening, the rate of patronage is also impacted.
Additionally, as their businesses are struggling financially, they have cut costs by reducing their orders of ice and opting for cheaper alternatives.
The economic downturns has created challenges for businesses in terms of operating costs, access to credit, and overall market demand. These challenges have affected the ease of doing business across various sectors, including nightlife and entertainment industry, which is our focal discourse at this time.
Factors such as inflation, currency fluctuations, and regulatory hurdles have also exacerbated the difficulties faced by businesses in the entertainment industry, potentially leading to closures, reduced investment, or operational inefficiencies. Some of these nightlifers have started reducing their staff strength, in order to protect their profit margins.
An engineer, Deola Akande shared a modest view as he stated: “It appears that luxury/high-end relaxation spots started losing their clientele around Q3 2023. The subsidy removal pronouncements by the current administration set the tone that tougher times were near. Majority moved towards the average lounge and typical bar hangouts. Then, again, a lot of these average lounges sprung up in late 2023. I reckon that in Ibadan, the lounges are now even more than the ballers. So patronage is expected to decrease across board’.
Akande’s opinion is more like a salvation to bars and joints in axis like Ologuneru, Sango, Alakia, Mokola, and other popular areas in Ibadan.
Despite the constant increment in the price of beers, the fun does not end. Souls are gained every night and there are many manifestations. One of these is from an IT engineer, Gbenga, who gladly objected to high life while asking this reporter “do you expect me to be buying alcohol the same amount I would pay for the school fees of my three kids? I live a moderate life and I would rather buy it here at a pump-price at Ori-Oke, Mokola than go to any club. Beer here is 700 Naira, at the club they sell for 2000 Naira, same content in the same bottle! You can as well do the maths.”
A recent report from Pluboard said that Nigerians have dropped on the chart of the happiest people in the world.
According to the report “Nigerians became quite unhappy in the last one year. Nigeria’s ranking in the World Happiness Report has taken a significant tumble, dropping seven spots from 95th in 2023 to 102nd in the last edition released in 2024. This means Nigeria no longer ranks among the 100 happiest nations globally.”
The reason for this is not far-fetched. Widespread hardship emanating from poor standard of living, shortage of food supplies, high cost of petrol and diesel, exchange rate crisis and so many other factors contributed to the low spirit of a people who used to be one of the happiest in the world, a race of uncommon people known to have mastered the art of suffering and smiling.
ALSO READ: Ogun poly student dies of pregnancy complication
Source: