March 17, (THEWILL)- Veteran of nightclub business, Ken Calebs-Olumese has been rewarded for his exceptional achievements, contributions and leadership in shaping the entertainment landscape in Nigeria and Africa, as well as championing what has evolved into modern nightlife. The organisers of the prestigious Silverbird Man of the Year Awards decorated the Guvnor, as he is fondly called, with the distinguished Lifetime Achievement Award. The prestigious award  was bestowed on him at an exclusive event held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Olumese has logged in over 40 years as a super nightlife entrepreneur. Indeed, the soon to be 80 year old transformed the Nigerian entertainment industry through his landmark showbiz endeavours and programmes, supporting talents, businesses and economies.
Calebs-Olumese’s Niteshift, later renamed Niteshift Coliseum and eventually Coliseum, became a fabled success in an era of big, brassy nightclubs. The club was a favourite of classy folks, top businessmen, corporate titans, top professionals and tourists. In its heyday, the upscale nightclub was the toast of fun-seekers. It was a place where billionaires and top political elites converged to seal deals and make important political and business decisions. It had a heart-warming ambience with special performances from the club’s crew and was always something fun seekers looked forward to. This was until the Edo State born entrepreneur put the building housing his once famous night club up for sale after the once bubbling place became a shadow of itself following a fire incident that gutted it on two occasions.
Although he was able to bounce back after the ugly incidents and renovated the place, turning it into an event centre, he was however unable to make the events centre a much sought-after place like the club and subsequently put it up for sale. The advent of COVID-19 made the club more difficult to maintain. About two years ago, it was alleged that Floating World, managers of a strip club in Ikeja were set to take over the place and give it a face lift. Many buyers signified interest and approached ‘The Guvnor’ with juicy offers but Floating World eventually won the bid to take over the place as new owners.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
