Night in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, is made beautiful by the streetlights that adorn most major roads and streets. This gives fun seekers the confidence to go in search of music and dance at bars, clubs and joints scattered across the city, writes MIKE ODIEGWU
Streetlights powered by generators light up some major roads everyday at about 7pm. Petty traders, especially fruit and recharge card sellers, mount their stands under the illuminated poles to do brisk business. The atmosphere is saturated with music which wafts from different joints scattered around the metropolis. It is night in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
Night is, however, different strokes for different folks. For Bolex Car Wash and Bar, located on the Isaac Boro Expressway, every night is a celebration. In fact, Bolex, as it is popularly called, is synonymous to nightlife in the capital city.
Bolex provides all-round entertainment for fun seekers. It combines car wash with a spacious bar and a night club. At the close of work, people troop into the area to relax and unwind.
In fact, all roads seem to lead to the pub at night. Friends, business and political associates sit round well-arranged chairs, drinking assorted beer and alcoholic beverages as they relieve their work experiences.
Persons who have preference for clubbing climb a storey building owned by Bolex to join other “rockers” and “rollers” at the dance floor. The club is designed with a separate VIP section which attracts expatriates, top military personnel and company executives.
On why he spends his night at Bolex, a middle-aged man says the spot offers the best and most spacious parking lots.
“It has a parking space second to none in Yenagoa. Besides treating your vehicles with deserved dignity, Bolex has well-trained traffic personnel who ensure that vehicles are well-arranged and protected from dent.
“Some other places l know don’t have such luxury of space. So, people are forced to park on the roads resulting in many ugly incidents,” the man, who identifies himself as Ifeanyi, says.
Apart from the parking space, Olumide Peter comes to Bolex for women. Yes. Women are not in short supply at the pub. At night, girls od different sizes and shapes flock around Bolex in search of male fun seekers. They are attracted by the calibre of men who patronise the fun centre.
Moreover, Kingsley Ogunde cherishes the security network at the pub. Apart from bouncers and private security personnel employed by Bolex to protect its customers, armed mobile policemen are located at strategic areas to safeguard the lives and properties of the customers.
“I come here to drink and eat with my friends because I feel the place is well-protected. I relax here, feel free without looking backwards. Since I started coming here, there have not been incidents of robberies or shooting,” he says.
The Director and Founder of Bolex, Amos Boligha, says the relaxation centre has existed for over six years.
“Bolex was established with the concept that night is a celebration. After a hard-day job, people are expected to come here to relax,” he says.
On why people prefer the pub, he observes: “We have the best set of equipment for quality music. We serve drinks, barbecue fish, snail and we offer serene environment. It is about hospitality. Also, security is fundamental. We partner with security agencies to secure the lives and property of our customers.”
But while Boligha smiles to the bank because his Bolex bubbles with patronage, it is a different experience for owners of chains of beer parlours located on the red-light district at Hospital Road.
Nowadays their bars are empty following unprecedented drop in patronage. Their multi-coloured plastic chairs and tables are empty. In fact, their bars are deserted. The area only comes alive these days because of the activities of commercial sex workers who swim like bees on the road each day.
The skimpy skates and bum shots line up on the road every night parading their fleshly assets and beckoning on men of easy virtues. To them, a successful night depends on the number of paid sex.
A round of sex according to one of them who identifies herself as Mercy goes for between N500 and N1000. Till day break is from N3000 to N5000.
Some of them even settle for N2000 after much bargaining. Sex is, indeed, cheap at night on Hospital Road and everywhere one looks, there is a girl beckoning at him.
Fun seekers are, however, seen in scanty bars savouring some delicacies especially along the Sand Road, a darker part of the Hospital Road. Dog meat fondly called 404 is the preferred delicacy to some night lovers. Others settled for fired and cooked noodles. But beer is the drink of choice.
Andrew Otse runs the Uche Bar along the Sand Road. He laments drop in patronage and complains that major bars have been forced to close shops. He blames the development on hard times in the state.
“Our night market was booming in this state before now. But things are no longer the same. People are no longer coming to drink and eat. The state is hard”, he says.
It was learnt that the Respect Bar and Fast Foods and Papa Timaya were among the nocturnal business outfits that closed down. Other business owners managing to stay afloat blame their decreasing sales on the austerity measures adopted by the present government.
For instance, Mrs. Joy Alfred, the owner of Joy Bar, says: “I have been here for eight years. Night was a pleasant experience here some years back but for sometimes now it is tight. People are complaining that the state is dry and that money is no longer flowing.”
The Macdon Bar, which combines fast foods and African delicacies, seems to be satisfied with the level of patronage. A supervisor at Macdon, Chimechaa Anyanwu, says the bar attracts responsible members of the public at night.
“The bar has just existed for two months. We witness high patronage at the weekend and we serve Nkwobi, Isi ewu, Shawarma and assorted drinks at night,”she says.
In fact, night in Yenagoa is made beautiful by the streetlights that adorn most major roads and streets. It gives the city a memorable and secured spectacle and helps motorists to drive their vehicles safely even without switching on headlamps.
Nightlife is further defined by music and dance. Apart form Bolex, other clubs and bars such as Stopover, Lakeview, Car Wash and V10 dot the city offering music and dance to fun seekers.
To provide security at night, different vans occupied by armed policemen patrol the roads and streets. They are sometimes stationed at strategic junctions and roundabouts. The police also patrol major joints and pubs to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
There have, however, been complaints of harassment and extortion against the police by fun seekers. While night lovers accuse the police of indiscriminate arrests, the operators of commercial tricyclists who convey people to their various destinations say the police extort them.
