Frank Okamigbo, a.k.a. Frank Papas, is a model and showbiz impressario. But before he wore those caps he had always loved the good life. So when his dream of studying in the United States was aborted thrice between 1997and 1998 by the American Embassy’s refusal to grant his visa application, he turned his gaze elsewhere.A decade after, however, that rejection has turned a blessing in disguise. Okamigbo has had a successful modelling career, having been signed on by top corporate concerns in Nigeria such as Nigerian Breweries, MTN, Citizens Bank and Nestle plc. But it is in the Nigerian entertainment world that his genius has come into play. Currently, he oversees Club Papas at K’s Place, a popular nite club located on Victoria Island, Lagos.Two years after Okamigbo took over the management of Club Papas, he has taken night life in Lagos a notch higher. This is because, not only has Club Papas become a celebrity hang-out, it is a boost to night life in Lagos.The roll call of artistes who have either performed live or launched their albums at Club Papas include Tuface Idibia, Konga, Ruggedman, 9ice, Black Solo, Lord of Ajasa, OJB Jezreel, Sound Sultan, Tony Tetuila, MP Durella, Kaha, Banky W and the Jamaica-born American ragga artiste, Shaggy. Other celebrities who throng Club Papas include actors, actresses, soccer stars and business executives.Aside those regular celebrity visits, Club Papas also features special nights. This, according to Okamigbo, is to add colour and fun to night life. Tuesday, for instance, is ladies nite; Friday, the regular Hip-Hop bash; and Saturday, the celebration of artistes’ birthdays and their album launch. In December last year, Club Papas organised the Ankara festival in Lagos. The first of its kind to be held in Nigeria, the carnival attracted many distinguished personalities including a representative of Ben TV, UK in London, Mr. Femi Amusan. As a result of the agreement reached between Amusan and Okamigbo, Ben T.V. UK and Club Papas will jointly organise another Ankara festival in London this summer. “We have brought some creativity into night life, and not just nite clubbing,” Okamigbo averted.”The idea is to be on top of the game. What makes us unique is that we put in a lot of artistic work into ordinary night life. We spice our activities with variety. So what you get this week is different from what you get next week. We work hand in hand with the artistes whose music a lot of people hear but don’t know their faces. So we try as much as possible to put the artiste’s face into the music they play,” Okamigbo told TheNEWS.Asked how his involvement with the entertainment world started, Okamigbo said: “I have always been an entertainment person, even before I went to the university.” After his visa application was thrice rejected, Okamigbo decided to work with the popular Mega Plaza in Lagos as a supervisor in charge of movies and videos. There, he was able to meet minds with distinguished personalities from different streams of endeavour; even though, according to Okamigbo, the decision to work with Mega Plaza was a hard one he had to take. “As a young man, it was a difficult decision not to follow my mates who went back to school immediately. But I had always wanted to be independent. I come from a family of five. I am the only son. So I decided to be on my own and also, to support the family,” he recalled.Still, Okamigbo’s five years at Mega Plaza not only provided the finance with which he took care of his immediate family, but also enabled him to start his university education. And it was as a student of Philosophy at the University of Lagos that Okamigbo kick-started his entertainment career, combining academics with work. Towards the end of his years in the university, Okamigbo started modelling, and he perfected the art so well that he won regular campus awards such as The Most Handsome, The Most Fashionable, and The Most Stylish. “I didn’t know I would use what God has given me to achieve success. Modelling started my foray into entertainment. It gave me the break and everybody recognised me whenever I was out there. They saw me on billboards, posters and TV. In fact that was the beginning of the whole thing,” Okamigbo said.In his third year at the university, Okamigbo adopted the sobriquet, Papas. Papas, the acronym for Prestigious Acclaimed Personalities And Associates, is an association he formed to showcase the talents of youths and educate them on anti-social vices such as drug abuse and cultism. Papas, according to Okamigbo, was made up of students who were unique in different ways. Resourceful and creative, the students were not just independent they fended for themselves. And they were the richest on campus and rode the best cars . “Though there were a lot of social organisations on campus, we just felt we should be different from others and we took over the social scene on campus,” he recalled. To pass their message across to the youths, Papas organised workshops, seminars and parties periodically. It was in one of such parties that Okamigbo got to be involved with K’s Place. “The then manager of K’s Place, Mr. Val Nwokobia, who was about relocating to the United States contacted me and said he would want me to manage the place,” Okamigbo told TheNEWS.That chance encounter spelt the beginning of Okamigbo’s professional career as a showbiz impressario. And the series of events which followed led to his taking over K’s Place. Though the building housing K’s Place was originally owned by Mr. Kamal Bustani, a Lebanese, the nite club has passed through different managements. But before Okamigbo took over completely, it was known as Extreme Nite Club and managed by his former boss, Hakeem Sodeinde, a.k.a the General. It was when Sodeinde moved out of K’s Place to form The Reloaded Nite Club in Ikoyi, that it became Club Papas at K’s Place. “When Sodeinde left, I was the second in command. But I had a different idea. I decided to take over the management and that gave way to what we now have.
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