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| Okoroji |
It was August 2, 1997. There was no Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Whatsapp then. There was no cell phone… no SMS but word was spreading fast that Nigeria’s best known citizen: singer, songwriter, producer, performer extraordinaire, politician, activist, ‘womanizer’, ‘trouble maker’, ‘igbo smoker’ iconoclast (you may please add your own) had finally passed on. I use the word ‘finally’ deliberately. Before the August 3, 1997 date, the death of Fela Anikulapo Kuti had been reported many times. Each time, it was a ruse. Of course, this added to the legend of the man.
With his endless wahala with the police and the army, Fela clearly lived on the edge. ‘No! Fela cannot die!’ insisted some of his die-hard fans. Their proof? How can a spirit who bears the name, Anikulapo die? Anikulapo (the one who carries death in his pouch), was the name Fela had chosen to replace Ransome, the famous family middle name which he threw away into the trash can, calling it a slave name.
And then Olikoye, Fela’s elder brother, a medical doctor who had been a very respected health minister in Nigeria issued a statement confirming not just that Fela had died but that his younger brother who had married 27 women in one day and smoked marijuana like it was going out of fashion, died of the dreaded disease, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Emotions went wild. Never before had Nigerian newspapers had a more salacious story and they ate it up from every angle.
Following Fela’s death, I had made a public call on the Lagos State Government to acquire the venue of Fela’s African Shrine on Pepple Street in Ikeja, compensate the Binitie family who claimed ownership of the land, maintain the structures and turn the place into a center where people from all over the world interested in the legend of Fela could come and relieve the life and times of the icon, his music, politics and philosophy. I was certain that ultimately, it would pay for itself. Apparently, mine was a voice in the wilderness. Nobody listened.
I understand that today the spot where Nigeria’s greatest music star of all times made history is part of the sprawling Computer Village where pirated music, software, videos and counterfeit electronic products from everywhere in the world are running amok. Several times, I have been to the African Shrine set up by Fela’s son Femi in the Agindigbi area of Ikeja. The place is well run by beautiful Yeni, Fela’s daughter who seems to look younger with age. The Agidingbi shrine is a testament to the commitment of Femi and Yeni to the Afro beat legacy they inherited from their father. But, Fela never played at Agidingbi. That to me is a major difference.
Every new city I go to, task number one is to find a tour guide and see the historic sites. From these, you learn a lot about the people: their culture, religion, politics, economics, etc. There is no great nation on earth that does not take extra care to preserve its historic sites and show them off for the simple reason that if you do not know where you are coming from, you are unlikely to know where you are going to. Besides, these sites are the bedrock of tourism, an international multi-billion dollar enterprise that adds meaningfully to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of many nations.
Have you ever had a guest from another land visit you in Lagos? Where did you have to take him to? Bar Beach? One of our hotels? Silverbird Galleria? What special story or history does any of these offer?
We just celebrated our 54th independence anniversary. Pray what have we done with the spot where the Union Jack was lowered and the Green-White- Green raised? With all its imperfections, I love Nigeria big time. Independence Day is for me a day to hit the town and be glad. Where to go to?
I said to myself that after the Champions League matches on Wednesday, I would head to Ken Caleb Olumese’s Niteshift for a serious throw-down. There I was sure to meet good people in a good environment and I trust the Guvnor to pull a trick or two. Then it hit me, there is no Niteshift anymore. The Guvnor had called me a few months back to say that he was shutting down the club and converting the place to an events venue. What?!
I know that night clubs have a very short lifespan. They are like flowers. One minute they are launched with their glitz, shining lights, booming music and gaily dressed women, the next minute, they are gone. Just think of all the night clubs Lagos has had in recent years. Where are they now? Do you recall that multi-talented stand-up comedian, John Chukwu ran Klass Night club on Obafemi Awlowo Rd, Ikeja? Jerry Anazia had Ozone on Allen Avenue. Beach Comber Night Club had boomed at Shonibare Estate, Maryland. Mike Inegbese’s Peak Night Club at Adeniran Ogunsanya Shopping Mall in Surulere was at some time, the place to be. If you had not partied at Maryland’s Lords Night Club where Silver Oforgu held sway for a long time, you really were not a happening guy in Lagos. There was Faze 2 at Jibowu owned by the Bensons long after Hotel Bobby’s Caban Bamboo had packed up. There was also Fantasy in Yaba piloted by the Murray Bruce brothers. The irrepressible Eric Danian known by many as Stagger Lee first experimented with Diplomat Night Club at Cornerest Hotel in the Olowu Street area of Ikeja and then proceeded to the Customs zone off Toyin Street where he set up Silver Shadows with the help of Leo Stan Eke whose computer empire was beginning to blossom. Lagos had MOD 208, Gondola, Phoenicia, Daniels, Optima, Honeyland, Subway in Lawanson and the Princewill clan practically owned night life in the island with Princes, their nightclub at Federal Palace Hotel. You can please add to this list. They are all gone.
Knowing what I know about night clubs, why should it bother me that Niteshift is closed? How do I explain to you that Niteshift was different? It was not a night club. It was an essential part of the history of Lagos. Niteshift was a Nigerian phenomenon. There are many in our land today in different positions whose lives may have been quite different if it was not for some night at the Opebi place. There is indeed a significant amount of our politics, commerce, media, entertainment, social networking and marriage propositions that took shape in the midst of Ken Calebs Olumese’s cognac and ‘Chicken in the basket’.
When I think about it, I am not sure that Olumese, the genius behind the Niteshift phenomenon quite understood what he had created. He was so engrossed in doing what he did in his special way that he did not realize that he may have built a historic national institution which Nigeria cannot afford to fritter away.
Abeg! Stay on this page next week for Bring Back the Niteshift (2) as I discuss why we ought to bring back the Niteshift and how we can do it. Bless you.
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