We all encounter the hefty men who control entry into party halls, concerts and nightclubs. A member of our team met one of them in a gym where he works out and proposed doing a WLS series on bouncers. It was a hard sell. With their dark glasses and smart uniforms, bouncers look too “clean” for the usual Working Lives subject. But he persisted and the team agreed. The interesting answers were not in response to questions about how the guys became bouncers. Rather, the gripping answers were around how bouncers make money. Read and discover yourself!
“Gays give us the biggest tips, at least N10,000. Some collect account numbers and send more than this. They are always very rich and clean guys”.
Where are you from?
I am from Yewa area of Ogun State. But I was born and brought up in Lagos. I attended a public primary school in Agege and a private secondary school also in Agege. My father is late now; he was a carpenter. My mum is a businesswoman; she sells foodstuffs. She is from Oyo State.
How did you start working as a bouncer?
I have very little education; I only completed secondary school. So, I have very limited employment opportunities besides working in a factory or as a cleaner. These are very low-paid jobs. I started working as a bouncer in 2010. I left school in 2006.
How does one become a bouncer?
You have to train hard before you get a bouncer’s physique. I was actually lifting weights just for fun then friends started telling me I could start making money as a bouncer. These are guys I used to hustle with as youngsters. I eventually joined a company called K-square that supplies bouncers for parties. K-square is one of the biggest security outfits in Lagos. They mostly supply bouncers to event planners. I joined K-square to gain experience. No matter how big your chest is, you need contacts to get gigs.
What were you doing before you started working as a bouncer?
I did so many jobs as a young man. I started working in a shoe factory at Odogunyan, a border town between Ogun and Lagos States. I left to work in another factory around Ikorodu, a PZ facility where Mamador Oil, and Kings Oil are produced. I got married in 2002. With a wife and a son, I needed to make more money, so I left PZ to work as a commercial bus driver. I was plying Ogijo, near Shagamu, to Ikorodu Garage. As a driver, you earn as you hustle. All the while, I was also going to the gym to train.
How do you get gigs?
I have worked as a bouncer for some years so I have developed contacts. My friends call me when they have events. Of course, I also invite them to work with me when a client asks me to handle an event. Most of us started with K-Square; they are the biggest in Lagos. People leave as soon as they feel they have enough contacts to get gigs on their own. K-square pays N6000 to N7000 per event. You have to pay for your transport from this. However, there are very sharp people who never leave K-Square. They lobby supervisors to post them to juicy places like Eko Hotels and Suites, where people give bouncers generous tips. Celebrities sometimes appreciate bouncers with $100 notes. But it’s like police posting, you have to appreciate your supervisor to keep getting posted to good places.
What kind of events do you work at?
All kinds of events – weddings, birthday parties, house warming, airport pickup, burials etc. Sometimes, I do clubs but I plan to stop soon. Clubs are too rough. For instance, you have cultists with guns who force their way in without paying.
How much do you make?
Most bouncers get paid per assignment. The rate is from N6000 to N8000 depending on the location. Sometimes, you are lucky someone employs you as a personal bodyguard. I know a bodyguard who was earning N100,000 per month; he lived with his boss so wasn’t spending on transport, housing or feeding. He was able to save a lot of money to help him travel to Dubai where he is a personal bodyguard to a famous music star. He has almost completed a 3-bedroom apartment in Ikorodu.
So, in a typical month, how much do you make in total?
In a very good month, I could make up to N300,000. Bouncers with solid connections to celebrities and politicians who frequently hold parties make more than this. Some bouncers also do deals. For instance, if the ticket to an event is N50,000, they could let 5 people enter for the cost of only one ticket. If they let 20 people enter that’s N200,000. But they have to be careful; they do these five-for-one deals only after the show is well underway. From about 11:45 pm.
Also Read: Working Lives: The Working Girl Who Specialises in Rich Guys
How much do you make from tips?
Hmn, there are several kinds of “tips” in this business. People bring money to spray at parties; most people give bouncers between N500 to N3000 as tips from this money. People come to parties very well dressed and want to feel important. They feel good when you hail them, so they appreciate you. Some ignore us when we hail them as they come into the party but tip us later after drinking and feeling high. We also make money from illegal entry. There are people who go to events every weekend to eat good food. They look for events where food and drinks flow freely. They usually don’t come in the aso-ebi, so they have to pay bouncers to gain entrance. Women who come to beg at events also pay us about N2,000 but after they have gone in and made some money. The biggest source of extra cash are people who come to parties to pick up some of the cash being sprayed on celebrants. These ones are professionals; they come in the aso-ebi for the event. How do they know the aso-ebi to come in? They snoop around event centers on Fridays and find out from event planners working at the venues. They pay bouncers N5,000 after the event. There is a guy who does this work every weekend. Most bouncers on the mainland know him. He looks so clean you would never suspect. Sometimes, the celebrants discover these strangers picking money they are being sprayed and ask the bouncers to throw them out. When they are caught like this, we beat them small and share the money they have collected 50/50 with them. Gays give us the biggest tips, at least N10,000. Some collect account numbers and send more than this. They are always very rich and clean guys. They send very sexually explicit material to you on WhatsApp and ask to meet up. No, I don’t know if any bouncer has been tempted by their offers. Each bouncer takes home at least N20,000 from all these sources.
How much do you save?
I save between N20,000 to N30,000 weekly which comes to at least N100,000 per month. I fall on this money when business is slow.
How many hours do you work in a day?
Most events are between 8a.m and 7 p.m. But sometimes, the celebrants want to keep partying after 7 p.m. they negotiate privately with the bouncers to stay for 2-3 hours more. This is also an extra source of money for us. I go to the gym Monday till Wednesday and I work from Thursday to Sunday.
Do you get harassed while on the job?
Regularly. You are given instructions to admit only people with tags or electronic invitations but you have people claiming to be friends or family members who insist on entering without the pass or they have a pass for one person but want to enter with five people. Once you do not allow them in, all hell will break loose. They call you beggar and throw all sorts of insults at you. Things like, “idiot, my sister has paid you but you are not letting me attend my sister’s party”. We have to maintain our cool.
Have you ever been in danger?
Yes, I was once stabbed with a broken bottle on my hand while trying to break up a fight. Fights usually break out mostly between people who have consumed too much alcohol. This happens more at the small after parties. We also get into problems with thugs who damage cars parked on the road by guests when the guests do not pay them when it’s time to leave. Bouncers usually run away when the thugs break bottles; it is extremely difficult to stitch a cut on a bouncer’s skin. Musicians also cause problems. There is a very famous fuji musician who never drops anything more than N20,000 for bouncers, policemen and LASTMA officials to share after an event. Thugs will want their share out of the money. Fights never break out after Pasuma plays because he always drops good money.
For how much longer do you plan to work as a bouncer?
I plan to quit in 2 or 3 years. I pray the economy of the country improves; when more people have money and throw parties, it is good for our business. I plan to start my own company. I will recruit younger bouncers to work with me. I have seen people make money from farming so this is something I am also thinking of going into.
