By Lawrence Enyoghasu
In Nigeria, at the moment and for many people, the times are hard, harsh and hellish. At such times, when life is economically tough for Nigerians, you would expect many people to minimise their expenses and cut down on their costly lifestyles. This, you would think, would include less drinking and having a good time at joints.
But the bad times have not stopped Lagosians from having fun. From bars and fun spots, revellers seem to send out a common message through their carefree way of eating and drinking: shame on poverty and economic hardship.
But according to Deji Arowonle, a Lagos State employee, it is all make-belief. First, he spoke about why many fun-seekers prefer spending time with friends in such places to having the same time with their families at home. He said: “Most homes don’t have peace again because husbands do not measure up to the expectation of the house. This is because there is no money in town. The economy is bad.” Then he confessed that the fact that people hang out at such places is not a good sign either that the economy is better with such people. “You might see most of the bars filled to the brim. But ask the accountant or bartender what they sold. You would be surprised that most of those people you see drinking beer and laughing over some bottles are either sharing a bottle of hard drink or are with one bottle of beer each. They would make noise and have the loudest conversation. Times are hard but man must drink.”
Bartenders’ experiences
Adeola Akinola, a bartender at Pardel Lounge, Egbeda, shares similar views. According to the lady, the harsh economic situation does not affect only the clients and their families, it also affects the service providers. She explained: “Our customers no longer give tips.” The lady, who said she has been doing the job for over ten years, added that most people who come to the bar spend more time brooding over their situation than drinking. “The only exception is when they come in groups. When they come in groups and they are of the same sex, you would see how they mind the rate at which they spend money. They would rather go for a drink of lesser price and much volume. When they plan to drink more, you see them ordering the same thing or vodka. The volume of consumed drinks has reduced. But the number of customers has increased. I hope you get it?
“Formerly, ten people might come and drink two crates – that is 24 bottles of beer. But now you will have 15 customers who only consumed 15 bottles. The few people who come to the bar don’t want loud music. Some browse their phones while most come along with cigarettes.”
But Akinola, a hospitality expert, said that over the years she has come to learn and to understand that dispirited or discouraged people do not live by drinking or smoking alone. She added that whenever she notices that someone comes to the bar alone and moody, she would go the extra mile to see what she could do to put a smile on the fellow’s face. She noted: “I do this because I know that times are hard. I dance for them. I try to engage them in a conversation, not necessarily on the state of the country but about hope and goals. I have a friend who is in Canada now studying. He said that he started the process after our discussion.”
Her colleague, Gloria Nnamani, also agreed that most customers no longer give tips as they did in the past. A 300-level student of Chemistry in one of the universities, she said she works at the bar in the meantime to kill boredom since the universities have remained shut because of the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU). She noted that since she started working in the in the past two months, not many clients have given her tips “Rather if you are not watching, they could go away with your money. Many times, I have had altercations with customers because of N50. But I believe that it is not their fault. It is the economy.”
A doctor’s warning
A mental health expert, Dr. Daniel Faleti, has warned that excessive drinking of alcohol to ease off the tension that comes from stress over a bad economy is not too good for both the body and0 the mind. He explained: “The economic situation in the country has brought untold hardship to many and traumatised their mental health. Therefore, the use of substances such as alcohol may be a way for some individuals to cope with psychological or emotional stress or trauma. However, this is a negative coping strategy, as it can only provide temporary relief while exacerbating the situation. There are many ways to cope with stressful situations. They include having adequate rest and sleep, engaging in exercises, maintaining healthy relationships, and building emotional strength.”
But not everyone believes in such solutions. Some clients at Galaxy Lounge & Club, Lagos, argued that having adequate rest and sleep, healthy relationships, building emotional strength and others all come from having good money in your pocket. And when there is no money, nothing fights sorrow than a bottle of chilled beer, they said. This appears to be the unarticulated view of other clients too. On this Saturday night, every available space had been taken at the Galaxy Lounge. With their eyes glued to the TV screen showing a match between Manchester United and Aston Villa, and with good music playing in the background, most of the clients kept nodding their heads and singing along. The CEO of the Lounge, Mr. Isaiah Oyejola confirmed Akinola and Faleti’s observations.
How we survive – Lounge and bar owners
“The hard times are also telling on the bar itself,” he said. “But because we are into service and not production business, we do not complain much. We also know that the competition is real and tight right now. As you can see, we are remodelling to accommodate more people. The same customer that comes to drink one bottle and watch football today would come tomorrow with his friends to shut down the bar when he is rich. Everybody is going through one thing or the other and that is why we have created a good atmosphere here for people to relax. The sales are not bad. But what we are actually after is the comfort of our customers. A bar should be a haven for anybody who is going through hard times. If you noticed, our chairs are all cushioned because we want our customers to relax. We have customers who come in the morning and stay late until we close at night. It is not as if they would eventually get drunk. They might end up buying one bottle of drink every four hours.” When it comes to the issue of bars and lounges doing more to attract and retain clients, Francis Ade, the CEO of Alhaji’s Bar is on the same page with Oyejola. He said: “Bar business is no longer a petty business like before. It is now a formal business; one needs to go for training and become a professional in it. The dynamics of the business necessitated professionalism. People come to the bar for many reasons. This is why this bar is tagged: ‘Family and friends bar.’ Over the years, we have adopted the best strategy to keep it small and classic. We have also used prices to ward off miscreants. Someone must introduce anybody that comes to this bar. And that person must abide by the rules of the bar. We don’t fight here. There is no day you won’t hear an argument ranging from politics to family affairs. It is a bar where you can learn if you are wise. And if you can’t talk, you can watch and listen. Some people come to this bar just to be updated on a particular subject matter. But these days, arguments seemed to have given way to listening to good music and browsing through one’s phone.”
He said watching people come in, eat and drink has over the years turned him into a good student of human behaviour. His words: “When people drink and talk, they intend to drink more. But when they drink and mind their phones, they drink less. All the same, different customers come to the bar for different purposes. For those who want to celebrate and those who want to calm their nerves, especially those that live in Lagos, they come here to take one or two bottles in order not to think about the current situation in the country. It all boils down to personal reasons.”