Temisan Okomi was not just a sports journalist.
He was also an entertainment presenter with a real feel for Nigerian and international music.
Temisan was an OG. The kind who could move from Teddy Pendergrass to Chairman Christian Chukwu without breaking stride. He spoke about Mary J. Blige with the same ease he did Florence Omagbemi. He simply knew his stuff.
The late Sylvester Ojigbede (Sly) was the one who got me hooked on Classic FM. His Rap and Hiphop Classic (RHHC) became a ritual. His sign tune (Dr Dre’s Deep Cover) set the tone. My car became my listening post every Saturday from 10am to 12 noon. I would even take a longer route to a destination or just sit in the car to finish a song.
When Sly died in 2015, it felt like RHHC went with him. His successor did well. The switch to T.R.O.Y by Pete Rock & CL Smooth as the sign tune was a fitting nod. But it didn’t quite do it for me.
Then Temisan showed up.
He wasn’t the main host. He just stepped in when needed but he took the programme and made it his own. The man people knew as a sports journalist handled RHHC like a hip-hop head. Calm, confident, even though slightly mischievous.
You also saw his range -entertainment, lifestyle, culture- on The Fix and The Drivetime Show.
Temisan’s death is not just another loss. It feels like a whole library has gone up in smoke.
He belonged to a class Nigeria is struggling to replace.
When Classic FM lost Ray Michael Nwachukwu, one of the real authorities on highlife and indigenous music in 2019, it left a gap that still cries to be filled. Temisan’s passing widens it.
He stayed above the ignorance and noise where people talk about rap as if it started with 2Pac and Biggie, or suggest Wizkid, Burna Boy and Davido were the first Nigerians to sell out shows abroad. His confidence was not built on shaky knowledge.
Temisan was also an actor and investor in the hospitality industry.
I never met him, but this death hurts.
My condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.
And I wish him a peaceful journey.
