Once upon a time, Calabar, the Cross River State capital, slept before 8pm. That changed some years back. Now, the tempo of nightlife in the capital city has attained another dimension, writes NICHOLAS KALU
There was a time when Calabar, the Cross River State capital went to sleep when the sun went down. That was before the tourism drive of the Donald Duke-led administration, which is being sustained by the Liyel Imoke administration, changed face of the state. Cross River is more visible on the world map. The once sleepy capital city has become a hub, attracting visitors from all over the country and even beyond.
Attendant on this development was a more intense social life. Coupled with the impression that the average Calabar person loves to live life to the fullest, the city has the necessary ingredients for frolicking and relaxation. The word ‘CALABAR’ has been described as Come and Live And Be At Rest.
A good pointer to this is that the 32-day Calabar Festival, which is jam-packed with various programmes designed to make people have a good time, has never had a dull moment. If anything, many will prefer it continues.
Night has, indeed, come to life in Calabar.
The proliferation of hotels, drinking joints and clubs to in the past few years has stimulated an active nightlife to match the influx of people who seek a fun.
It is now common sight in most part of town, especially the Marian Road axis to see such crawlers at night who are out to have a good time. Most of them, especially youths, patronise the drinking joints that litter the city.
Night-clubs inject so much power into a bubbling night life that is blossoming in the city. The growth of night clubs has provided a fresh avenue for most residents and visitors to unwind, drink, dance and socialise. Some of the most prominent night clubs are Jaspers on Marian Road, Mayfair Lounge at the Channel View Hotels, Pinnacle Club at the Mirage Hotel and Base Bar at Diamond Hill.
The government has also established merry-making spots, such as the Marina Resort and Tinapa Resort.
Mr Essien Kooffreh owns and runs the most popular club in town. According to him, he had to return from Diaspora to establish the business, which, he said, has so much potential in the state in view of government’s tourism thrust.
“Running a club in Calabar is no different from running a club in any other city, but the only difference is that the people here are not hostile. Security wise, I think security in Calabar is very good compared to other places. So, that is why nightlife and clubs will thrive in Calabar because people can feel safe going out.
“We have to give credit to our state government because it introduced tourism, encouraging people outside the state and in the Diaspora to come and build up the tourism sector. That is why I came back as well. We have taken it far because we now have a lot of modern bars and clubs,” Kooffeh said.
Calabar is a town regarded as a civil service city. As a result of this, most of the life injected into the city has been attributed to students of the two higher institutions in the city, the University of Calabar and the Cross River University of Technology. Whenever these schools are closed for any reason, there seems to be a lull in social and economic activities in the city and by extension a drop in the verve of nightlife in Calabar.
But Kooffreh disagrees, saying though students play an active role, their absence does not jeopardise patronage.
According to Kooffreh, with the presence of private companies that are growing in the state, the future will always be bright. The tranquilly and serenity of the state, he said, has also helped the business to bloom. “The state provides most part of the country with chippings from Akampka. There are loads of foreign and indigenous investors who own quarries there. We have a cement factory here, UNICEM which is massive; we also have Niger Mills which is also massive; we have Dangote. So, it is not just the universities because if it was just that, I don’t see how the hotels and clubs will be surviving. So, all of them add up. Constructions companies are coming in. They are employing locally, making a lot of indigenes have a good enough income to enjoy themselves. These are people who work from morning to evening and then they want to unwind,” he said.
“We (Calabar) may not be really commercial. Ironically towns that are so commercial, you don’t have this kind of business. You look at Aba. There is so much commerce, but the place is hostile and the environment does not permit this kind of business.
“I see the future of nightlife in Calabar blossoming because for, instance, when I started this club some years ago, we only had a couple of clubs. There is market for this business if you are ready to put in energy and be ready to work hard and manage it properly. With so many projects the government is embarking on, when it kicks off, it will bring in more investments and more people and, of course, they will want to unwind.
“With the focus of tourism in the state, activities have been a bit more. Most commercial cities cannot boast of what we have socially because of this tourism drive and also the enabling environment. There are no problems in Calabar. A lot of businessmen who travel a lot have relocated to Calabar knowing it is a place they can leave their families and know they are okay while they go about their businesses. That has helped a lot. So, I believe there is a big future because of the serenity and safety of the town, because if a town is not safe, you cannot leave you house after 9 o’clock.”
Also the manager of another popular nightclub, who doesn’t want to be named said, said the tourism drive of the state is really helping the business in the state.
“People are always coming in and out of Calabar. It is a place where people come to have fun and we give them quality fun.”
He also attributed the thriving business to the peaceful environment.
“I can beat my chest and welcome anyone who wants to come to Calabar and say you are going to have a quality and wonderful time,” said Mr Chinonso Nwanna, popularly known as Nomzy. He used to run a popular club in Calabar, The Mayfair Lounge.
Mr David Ndukwe is from Abia State, but has lived in Calabar for over 15 years. He also loves to enjoy himself. He says one of the things that makes the town appealing has been its healthy nightlife which provides the opportunity to have fun.
Ndukwe said: “Yes, there’s been so much improvement in the night life here and this could be attributed to improved security situation in the city as people go about any time without being molested.
“The emergence of more hangout spots has given night riders options to be out till late, with some bars offer jazz day within the week, ladies’ night and so on so there’s always something every day for somebody.”
Renowned socialite, Mrs Queen- Nkoyo King, owner of the newest and most popular nightclub in Calabar, Beverly Heels, said of the nightlife in city: “It is better than yesterday because you see that in the state we have a lot of tourism. People are coming from every other state and even outside the country to make the lifestyle better than before and if you ask me I would say it is at its best for now. At Beverly Heels it is not just the life that you would get. Here we have a lot to offer. It is a one stop shop that comprises of a club, a hotel and a restaurant that runs 24 hours and to me it is the best place to be. If anyone is coming from outside the state or the country and even within the state, it is the best.”
She said she ventured into the industry given it was a blossoming one and also that she was inclined towards show business.
“Before now we actually had a Hurricane dance bar at Mekenge before I shut it down and started up this project. The future is going to be great and better. It is going to be bigger,” Mrs King said.
Nomzy said on a scale of one to ten, Calabar can be ranked six for its bubbling nightlife. He said before now, it could be ranked two on the same scale.
According to him, it is a business that goes up and down. According to him, of the seven days of the week, most clubs are active only on an average of two days.
He said joints and drinking spots were doing much better at night, but that nightlife in Calabar could get better. So, the best is yet to come for this city with rich history.
