By Benjamin Njoku, Charles Adingupu & Anozie Egole

If you are a visitor driving along Abaranje in Ikotun, Alimosho Local government of Lagos state and you got to Aso Rock bus-stop, something catches your attention. If you’re not familiar with life in Lagos , you would mistake an auditorium filled with white plastic chairs as a church or christian fellowship centre. You may even be tempted to stop. And this has perhaps led many who stopped out of curiosity to become adherents of a different kind of ‘religion’ where all they need is ‘point’ and something gets killed for them.

With the trend of Christianity in the 21st  century, where even the sacred isn’t sacred, a prosperity-teaching pastor could rent a hall for a ‘service’. In a world that has bid farewell to religious revivalism, fast food joints, hotels and bars have been turned to emergency church centres with the evangelists promising miracles and riches for an earthly price. The churches these days preach miracles and riches more than salvation of the soul. And since people are gullible the churches have become business centres.

Indeed, Christianity has taken a new dimension with a noble goal: spread the word of peace, love, and charity. And everywhere is “The Church,” where sex and drugs are as much a part of the culture as prayers and sacraments. But this place only appears so in the day time. At evening time, its a different world. But there are some hotels and bars which churches, pastors and evangelists have completely ignored. It’s strictly business here and nothing else.

One of them is Aso Rock Hotels and Bar , the world of ‘point and kill’ business located at Abaranje in Alimosho local government area of Lagos. You can mistake it for a sacred institution by daytime. The innocence it portrays at daytime is betrayed at evening time when a transformation sets in. Aso Rock Hotels and Bar, like other hotels in its category is a place of spell-binding experience.  To the non-initiate, the gatherings   appear to be a mere social one for a few bottles of beer. Others may see them as an avenue to reunite with old friends and exchange friendship banters.

You cannot label the place as a red light district zone even though you might be temped to. All you see is the open display of drinking and socialization. Middle-aged, young men and women are littered everywhere drinking and bantering in the evenings. The first thing that greets you on entrance is a peculiar smell that brings saliva up to your throat. You become instantly hungry. Indeed, the smell of catfish pepper soup that greets your entrance into the enjoyment arena brings an instant hunger that forces you to sit down and order.

You are not the only victim here. In full session, over 500 other faces are seated either enjoying the delicacy of grilled catfish or pepper soup or waiting to be served. The white plastic chairs which during the daytime are packed up or turned downwards are now neatly arranged around tables in the evening to accommodate fun-seeking men and women. There is always loud music blaring from musical speakers in the background and all the tempting red lights.

Money is not a problem if you want to hang out here. Right in front of the eatery/bar , an Automated Transfer Machine (ATM) is placed at a strategic point to serve the interest of the customers that flock the place. With the ATM strategically positioned, no one can run out of money in catching up with the fun.

Service point

When you have settled down to get entertained, the main menu here is catfish, popularly called ‘point and kill’. A plate of catfish pepper soup goes for between N600- N700 at Aso Rock . In the past, it used to be N500 per fish and they are served as they are. The fish is not tampered with but served whole.  The hangout, is a unique blend of a bar and a night club. Being one of the largest hot spots in Lagos, the restaurant and bar, is said to boast of a minimum of 800 customers on a week day and more than 1500 every Friday, Saturday and Sunday

So why is it popular for point and kill ? The answer is simple. When a guest arrives and orders catfish pepper soup, at least the guest will need to go to a big bowl where some live catfish are swimming around and point out a catfish. The catfish will then be killed in the guest’s presence and taken away for preparation. Then you stroll into the open-bar, and behold, an army of revelers cramm the place like bees around a honey-pot, eating, drinking and catching their fun as never before, as men-waiters move between tables with trays of grilled fish, and assorted drinks.

The whole atmosphere is one of conviviality. Young women are seen everywhere flaunting their boobs indiscriminately and soliciting patronage in the open space. You are only but tempted to like the place as ‘a meeting point of the bad, the good and the ugly.’ Dance floors, and club lights, the high end joint is entertained by a D.J who plays till 12 mid-night. This is Aso Rock, the most popular hot spot, in Ikotun area of Lagos, where relaxation meets enjoyment.

A visit to the hangout, on a warm Monday night and last weekend, by Saturday Vanguard  proves the obvious: that the residents of the area rarely sleep at night. Each night is as good as the other at the place.

Outside the joint is a different experience

The street is littered with skimpy-dressed ladies hovering around men, and trying to agree whether they would go for ‘short time, or what they call all-night’ for prices ranging from N2000 per short time or N4000 for all-night. It depends on class. Some pay up to N10,000 or more for a night. Prostitutes of different sizes, shapes and curves hang along the streets, in twos and threes,( not inside Aso Rock arena) seeking attention from male fun seekers. You are accosted by some desperate ones who would make sexual advances as you alight from a car. “It’s just N4000 per night, and N2000 short time. I have already booked for the night but we can go for short time. I will do you well, back and front. You will surely enjoy it,”one of them muttered.

But this is not what Aso Rock is known for

The hangout is known to provide enjoyment at its peak. It’s also likely the only joint that sells the cheapest beers in town. Although a bottle of Star Beer and Harp in Aso Rock which used to cost N140, in the recent past has gone up to N200, other beers like Santerberg beer and 3-3 go for N120. But despite the slight increase in the prices of Star beer and Harp, revelers are still consuming the beers. A tray of grilled fish is sold as cheap as N600, and you may have to shout out to get an attention of a waiter.

According to one of the customers who wouldn’t want his name in print, “This place is very good because things are incredibly cheap. I come here mostly when I have friends to entertain. With just N3000 we will have a nice time drinking beer and eating fish.”

Also, one of the workers told  Saturday Vanguard  that they resume work everyday at 12 mid-day and closes at 11:30pm.

“There is a way our duties are shared among us. A waiter is to service eight tables. This is the only way to ensure accountability, given the number of customers being attended to at every given time. I make at least N30,000 per day but the sales are higher at weekends. During weekends, we make more sales. I make at least N50,000 during the weekend. And we are many waiters making such amount daily. The person selling drink is different from the person who is selling grilled fish. My duty is to mind the tables assigned to me and ensure that what the customers want are provided for them. People who are selling water are also different,” he said

Another waiter who is in charge of serving grilled fish, said, he sells an average of 30 grilled fishes to the eight tables assigned to him per day. “I serve an average 30 trays of fishes to the eight tables that I am assigned to, on daily basis. In this hall, we have an average of 64 tables, excluding the people sitting outside the hall. On a weekday, we sell over 500 fishes,”he narrated.

Saturday Vanguard  confirmed that about 500 fishes are sold in Aso Rock everyday excluding weekends.

“ Weekends are bumper sales. We buy about 1,500 catfish on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and it is never enough. Many people go home disappointed because they didn’t come early enough or because of short supply of fish.”

Security is a serious matter

One unique thing about this place is their services. Not only that they sell cheaper than what obtains elsewhere, their services are very fast and the place is well secured with the bouncers and security operatives. With a stand by Disco Jockey, doing what he knows how to do best, Aso Rock is a place to be at weekends. The activities that go on in the place also rob of on some business operators as one owner of super market beside the joint usually smiles, making huge sales mostly from people who buy other things. The sale Alabukum, which reduces the effects of alcohol goes well.

The two- storey building which wears a blue paint can best be described as the home of entertainment for residents of Ikotun and its environs. It all explains the fact that despite the dwindling economic and security challenges in the country, fun seekers are obviously not giving up their old ways, as the saying goes “old habits die-hard.” A customer, Sunday Efe told  Saturday Vanguard  that Aso Rock is the place to be.

“ If you come to Lagos or you are living in Lagos and you have not tasted the catfish recipe here, then you could be missing out. For one thing, catfish pepper soup is one of Nigeria’s most popular evening recipes. It is my meal especially at my age 54 when doctors would tell you to avoid many things. Cat fish pepper soup appears safe to me. Instead of eating rice with fried stew, I eat rice with catfish pepper soup. I have taught my wife how to prepare it at home and as they say, home is haven but a man has to be a man. I need to hang out, drink a bottle of beer or two, catch up with my friends and there’s no better way than gathering in a place like this.

“Here, they don’t sell only catfish but other recipes. They can grill the fish for you if that is how you like it. The beer is cheap and the pepper-soup tastes nice. There are other Nigerian delicacies here but point and kill is it! It is the most popular fish pepper soup in Nigeria. “ But jokes apart, catfish pepper soup is medicinal. The ingredients used in preparing it cleanses the system. They are natural. There is the utazi with its bitter taste, uziza and uda and these are pepperish and cleanses the system.”

Sibling rivalry

Aso Rock is not the only hang out in the business of ‘point and kill’ in that environment. Somewhere along Idimu road is another called Paradise Hotel and Bars. Many who claim to be in the know said the proprietor of Aso Rock learnt the tricks of his business from his elder brother Ambassador  Kayode Arowole who taught him . The Ondo state born UN Ambassador for Peace ;and also a Universal Peace Foundation ambassador in an earlier interview spoke to Vanguard about starting from nowhere to becoming a business guru; his humble beginnings and the challenges he encountered while trying to build his multi-million naira hotel business.

“Mine is a long story of suffering and you may not appreciate it if I don’t tell my story from the beginning. I was not born a millionaire or with a silver spoon. It was a long way for me to get to where I am today. When I came to Lagos to stay with my elder brothers, they told me that I should have written to notify them before coming to stay with them, that I couldn’t just wake up and decide to come and visit someone. By then, I had made up my mind to stay in Lagos. This happened in 1983 and I told myself that going back to the village would be a very big shame for me since I had told them in the village that I was going to Lagos to stay. I moved out of my brother’s house and became a labourer to be able to feed myself while still searching for job.

I had no money to get an accommodation and had to stay in an uncompleted building while I worked to survive. I used old planks to make a window to sleep at night and in the day time, I went about searching for jobs. “While I was staying in the uncompleted building, some people went and told the landlord that it appeared someone had taken over his house. This was after I cleared the bush surrounding the house. So, one afternoon, the landlord of the building drove into the house in a Volkswagen. When he came down, he asked who I was and I told him my name.

He asked where I came from which I told him. He asked if I was not scared of staying in that house and I told him I was not. He asked if I did not have a family and I told him that I have but they told me that I should go back to the village which I did not want to do. He told me that some people informed him that someone had cleared all the bushes surrounding the house, that it seemed the person wanted to take over the property and that was why he came. He also said that he didn’t think I could do that but he took a precautionary measure and gave me a receipt as a tenant living in the house.

I did not pay any rent for the receipt and he even gave me money for feeding saying that, he has been spending money to clear the bush but, I had done that free for him. He encouraged me to be doing that and also promised to help me secure a job in any nearby company. Meanwhile, I planted many things in the house to support my feeding. “ I got job in one company then as a clerical staff. The American who owned the company liked my punctuality to work and asked me to come and live with him in GRA Ikeja.

I started living with him and he was providing me with some money for my upkeep. I lived with him until the end of my job with them and I now asked myself, what else should I do, bearing in mind that I have always loved trading right from childhood. I decided to gather some money and started trading on  garri. I would travel to Benin and bring  garri  down to Lagos. I was supplying it to some market women around. I did that for some time before I decided to go further with the business. That was how I started traveling to some neighboring countries like, Benin Republic, Togo and some other African countries to supply them the garri. And on returning to Lagos, I would buy under wears for ladies from these countries to sell in Nigeria. I didn’t have a store then. They used to come and buy in my apartment then.

I later went into property business, that is, selling and buying of estates and property. I went for the training to know the ethics of the business. When I knew I was competent enough to do it , I established my own as  SKYPOWER PROPERTIES  . When people knew I was very honest in the job, I started having a lot of customers. After that, when I had the opportunity to get a land of my own, I started using it as a car wash.

“I never had any intention to run a bar or hotel business. There was a time I had only N200 and my wife said that I should give her the money to buy nylon. When I gave her the money, she bought nylon and started selling ice blocks. We had a deep freezer at home. She did that for three months. Later, I started selling drinks on that land with little or no seat for customers to sit on. The first drinks I bought were a crate of beer and a crate of soft drinks. But when people kept coming and demanding that we should add other things to the beer and soft drinks, we decided to do that. We started first with a bar where I was the bar man while my wife was in the kitchen preparing fresh fish pepper soup for customers. We popularised the fresh fish pepper-soup called ‘point and kill’ and when we saw that customers were too many, we employed workers. So, I started with a bar before going fully into hotel business.

How much did you use to start the business then?

I cannot really say the exact amount. All I know was that I brought my deep freezer which I was using in the house and I gave my wife N200 for nylon which we used in selling ice block for three months. It was from the money we realized from selling the ice blocks that I purchased one carton of Gulder which we sold then. That was how we started. When the customers started coming, all these people who are selling cigarettes gave me umbrella which I used then as a shade for my customers. We didn’t have chairs but two of my staff initially used their money to buy chairs and I later refunded them.

Later, Guiness Breweries recognised me as their businessman of the year and gave me N1 million prize. The following year, they also recognised me as businessman of the year and flew my wife and I to Abuja. They also gave us N1.5million and some plastic chairs which we used in our business. That was over twelve years ago. With these largesse, our business began to metamorphose from a bar into a hotel and now, I can say that Paradise Hotels and Bar is worth millions of naira. I have trained a lot of people. Some of them are on their own now.

What about your ‘point and kill’ business?

When I started business, I started with my wife. We did everything together. I would say that my wife has been a pillar in the business because, she is a very hardworking woman. When we started newly, she was the person in the kitchen cooking pepper soup which a lot of our customers commended because our pepper-soup is very delicious. People come from different parts of Lagos to patronize us. We are popular for cat fish pepper soup called ‘point and kill’.