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He’s a special breed. The man who changed the concept of nightclubbing in Lagos. He’s Ken Calebs Olumese, the Governor of Niteshift.
I met the Governor when I was in charge of a column on ‘People and Parties’ at Vintage People magazine. My publisher, Mr. Muyiwa Adetiba, had asked me to interview a friend of his, Ken Olumese, who was planning to launch his club, Niteshift, at the time. The new club was on the first floor of a popular building on the popular Opebi Road, Ikeja in Lagos.
As I walked into the place, I spotted a man dressed in a flowery shirt matching it with a pair of sandals and cowboy hat. I introduced myself and he asked me to wait. When he was ready, we had a very exciting discussion. He must have been impressed by my skillfulness because he said I must be at the club’s opening gala. Unfortunately, he had run out of the invitation cards, so he provided me with a temporary membership card to access the event venue.
Niteshift was different. Everything about it was unique. Apart from the regular clientele, the club had a gold card section for people in the upper echelon of society. There was also a silver card section for upwardly mobile professionals. The DJ referred to as Captain, would start the night with house announcements. He would inform the guests of exciting activities to expect and how the night would be. He would end the presentation with these iconic words; “When the sun sets and everybody braces up for a showdown, the niteshift begins. Good morning ladies and gentlemen and welcome to a new concept in nightclubbing in Nigeria’s most fashionable and most respectful soul music club. We begin the night as I introduce the Niteshift Bugaloo”.
The signature tune then would come on heralding the in-house dancers with their unique, well-choreographed dance steps.
The class in Niteshift was obvious for all to see. Members of the gold and silver sectors drank with appropriate glasses. You couldn’t dance blocking the aisle. There were rules rigidly enforced. The fun night was regarded as Flight and the DJ the Captain. The highlight of the Flight was the touchdown at Las Palmas, the city for lovers, where the curtain was drawn on the dancefloor and the guests relished blues and slow music.
I started out with the silver sector and I became quite close to the Governor. Wednesday was for ‘Ladies Nite’ while Friday and Saturday were club nites. Later, live band was introduced for Sunday. One of the regular guests on Sunday was Fela Anikulapo Kuti, who came around with his girls.
Governor became a mentor to a lot of us society and entertainment reporters. On a normal club nite, he would treat us to complimentary food and drinks and also arrange transport fare to take us back to our destinations.
Niteshift became a second home to many of us. Governor did not like any of us leaving early. He would serve us breakfast in the morning complemented with tea or coffee. On special days like Christmas, turkey would be served to all guests with pomp. You dared not attempt to leave when the Governor was around. To visit The Vanity, which, by the way, was fully air-conditioned, with an attendant nearby, you had to submit your phone and even your wristwatch. Governor demanded that as a guarantee that you were not leaving. The next morning, the Governor would usher his close friends into his office and drinking binge would start afresh. We sometimes left the club around 11am the following morning.
The Governor is a perfectionist. He didn’t leave anything to chance. One of his best creations was ‘The Grand House Reception’, a special evening where a top celebrity would be on the hot seat to answer questions from patrons of the club. The club hosted the very best in the society; from presidents to governors, to captains of industry and A-list celebrities from other fields.
Before the show would begin, meetings were held and everything about the night was scripted. Governor would script what direction the night would go from the start to the last session. Governor Olumese loved his job. He would stand in his corner all night, except when he moved around to attend to issues. He loved his brandy. He was usually impeccably dressed. He was always decked in a suit with a tie. Later, he adopted the Asian-styled Brioni suits. Towards the end at The Coliseum, he started adorning Mandela-style flowered shirts.
Governor saw many of us grow from reporters to publishers. He was a mentor to many of us. I recall when I attended an event at the Federal Palace Hotel. He gave me a lift in his car from Victoria Island to Fadeyi where I was staying at the time. It was on that trip I shared with him my dream about FAME Magazine. We eventually started FAME in 1991 as a Saturday paper. After printing at Daily Times press, I would take copies to Niteshift as a sales point. Governor would buy the remaining copies and distribute them to patrons of the club. That was his way of supporting us.
A new phase in nightclubbing started when the Governor decided to leave the rented space where the club operated from and built a Coliseum. Location was still in Opebi. The Coliseum was the only purposefully built club in the country at the time. It was a game changer. An architectural masterpiece. While The Coliseum was under construction, we would move from Niteshift to the construction site in the morning and would be there till almost noon.
Governor contributed in no small measure to the development of the entertainment industry and the recognition that our artistes are now enjoying. Before Governor Olumese’s intervention, DJs didn’t play Nigerian music in clubs. Then, the Governor decided to visit Ghana. I was in his entourage. In Ghana, we visited different nightclubs in Accra, the capital city. It was an eye-opening experience. Unlike what obtained in Nigeria, Ghanaians cherished their local music and respected their artistes. They called their local brand ‘Hip-Life’. Hip-Life was all they enjoyed in their clubs. It was the same in all the clubs we visited in Ghana.
We came back to Nigeria and the Governor introduced the Ghana style. Niteshift started playing songs from Nigerian artistes. Not only that; local artistes were invited to perform live during club sessions. Most Nigerian artistes who are superstars today had their fame developed at the club.
Regrettably, every good thing must come to an end. After 25 years of redefining the concept of nightclubbing in Lagos, The Coliseum was shut down as a club and transited into an event centre. Ken Calebs Olumese retired from the business leaving lasting memories for all, especially patrons of Niteshift and The Coliseum who enjoyed his brilliance and innovations for 25 years.
