It is past 5, Wednesday evening, and Club 7 — a club and outdoor bar is still as empty as Jacob’s kettle. From a distance, one would think the club was closed for the day considering that the curfew was night time. The rooms looked pale, the tiles were bare. R&B songs were playing, underlyingly into the atmosphere as though it’s high tunes can attract the deadly virus. The outbreak of Covid-19 had turned a once bubbling clubhouse into a graveyard.
Here in Nigeria, in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with new social distancing guidelines and ever-changing restrictions, many night commercials are waiting with bated breath.
With the outbreak of coronavirus, the hustle and bustle of many major cities in Nigeria turned into subdued silence. The directive to remain indoor and self-quarantine shattered nightlife spaces, leaving night-based commercial activities scrambling for income.
The West African Pilot News visited the major clubs and commonly patronised bars in the heart of the ancient town of Ile-ife, Osun state. The virus didn’t spare the nightlife entertainment business as it dealt a hard blow on that economic sector.
A visit to the popular Club 7 revealed that while activities were ‘secretly’ going on, the ‘fun’ and gathering continued unabated.
“Feel free, you’re safe here,” Babatunde, the attendant in Club 7 said to this reporter as he led her into the building.
Sensing her uneasiness, he started to explain the state of things, unquestioned by the reporter.
“You don’t have to worry, a group walked out just before you came in. These days, we have to act in a coded way. You know, the lockdown in place has hindered us from doing anything elaborate” the attendant said.
In an apparent lament of the drop in patronage, he expressed worry that COVID-19 has scared people away from the Club.
“More so, people no longer turn up as usual because of the fear of being exposed to coronavirus. But trust me, you are safe here. Seeing the place empty and quiet is a little awkward but what choice do we have?” he quipped.
‘’Just sit down and tell me what you will like to drink,” He told this reporter who went there posing as a customer.
Night Commercial activities under pressure
The COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria hit hard on nightlife entertainment and commercial activities. More so because bars and clubs were forced to suspend business because their services were deemed non-essential.
It would be recalled that On March 20, Osun state governor Gboyega Oyetola had ordered the closure of all public and social spaces including night clubs, sports arenas, mosques, and churches noting the need for the state to take proactive measures in curbing the spread of the virus.
According to medical experts and advisory from the World Health Organization, respiratory illness is a highly contagious disease that could be transmitted through droplets of different sizes. Primarily through direct contact with a person showing respiratory symptoms or by contact with contaminated surfaces.
As of May 16, Data from World Barometer, a website dedicated to providing global live statistics showed that 4,628,563 cases of the virus have been recorded 213 countries with 308,645.
So far, Nigeria has recorded 5445 cases, treated, and discharged 1320 cases with 171 persons dead.
The poor patronage and downturn in revenue is not only peculiar to Club 7.
When The West African Pilot News visited Lexican Bar, a commonly patronized Bar, its gate was shut, while usual chairs and tables were off. It had been stripped of all it ‘stand-alone’ features.
This reporter gathered that Lexican had closed down and was undergoing renovation a month before the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pandemic. The bar was about to reopen and resume business when the lockdown was announced.
When employees were spoken to at the bar, they confirmed that they would have returned to business but for the lockdown.
“The pandemic held us back from reopening the bar. Yes, it is true that the bar has been undergoing renovation for a while now but we would have reopened if not for the outbreak”
The employee who spoke to this reporter noted that the organization (Lexican) thrives on large gatherings
“The lockdown directive prohibits the gathering of a large number of people and that is almost impossible in a place like this”.
“Coronavirus is really affecting us. It even disrupted the renovation process but luckily, we are almost done with it. What is left right now is repainting and other pretty retouches. We have made provision for VIP and karaoke and the bar is almost set to reopen.
It was however gathered that plans were ongoing to bring activities back to life
“I was discussing with a colleague earlier this morning and we decided to reopen on the basis that costumers who visit the bar before 5pm will have to stay in a confined place. We intend to construct a plan that would help us function properly before reopening and of course, there might an increase in the price of drinks especially in the VIP section,” Fummilayo, an employee said.
At Ogbe’s Bar, Curfew Is A Myth
At Ogbe’s Bar, a widely recognized community bar, customers sat in groups. Most tables were vacant, leaving each group over two metres apart from the other.
“Coronavirus has almost turned our bar into a boring place. The turnout dropped drastically, our income lessened because of the virus. Everyone is looking out for their safety and the lockdown directive didn’t help matters either, Richie, a bartender told the reporter.
At Ogbe’s bar, however, this reporter reliably gathered that while curfew ends by 6pm, activities extend till 10pm in the bar.
“The official closing time is 5 to 6 but we close 10pm here. To be honest, we all don’t when all this is going to end and how things will start to change. The time government spared is not enough especially because people no longer patronize us as they used to. We are trying to make as much as possible. Besides, chilling is very important. Even the DPO
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