By Joshua I. Mokwuah | April 24, 2025
Cosmo FM operated in Enugu from approximately 2001 to around 2008. Founded by then governor of the state, Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani and late broadcaster and media executive Jika Attoh, it was notable for playing music 24/7, the first all-music radio station in the country. Though gone for nearly two decades now, Cosmo FM played a huge role in the rise of Flavour and indirectly, Phyno.
How Cosmo FM Changed the Landscape of Radio Broadcasting in the East
In the early 2000s, Southeast Nigeria’s airwaves were dominated by government-owned stations like Coal City FM and ESBS. The stations mostly offered tedious talk shows, lengthy news bulletins packed with local news with sparse music programming. The region lacked the vibrant, youth-focused broadcasting hubs of Lagos thus, leaving a void for the region’s millennials.
Governor Nnamani launched Cosmo 105.5 FM in May 2003 in partnership with renowned broadcaster Jika Attoh, essentially revolutionizing the region’s music and entertainment landscape. Cosmo FM, initially at 93.5 FM settled at at 105.5 FM, would become Nigeria’s first 24/7 all-music station. Its programming targeted mostly young people.
24-Hour Unbranded Entertainment
Cosmo FM’s origins began months away from its official launch in 2003. From around 2001, an unknown channel in the ether played nonstop music, without any presentation or programming. Following its eventual launch, it introduced Enugu to global artists like Eminem, 50 Cent, Nelly, Beyoncé, 2Face Idibia, while championing local talent.
Programs like Lydia’s Hakuna Matata breakfast show, Spaceman’s afternoon cruises and DJ FX2’s drive-time extravaganzas, alongside Ralph’s sports updates and Temi’s We Love Nigerian Music, captivated listeners. There was also the midnightly Lean on Me, Sports Track hosted by Ralph and Frankie and the Friday Night Parties. There was also Pastor Ed Biayeibo’s Wisdom for Winning, among many others. Cosmo FM was on repeat in homes, offices and in cars for 24 hours.
Cosmo’s reach extended beyond Enugu to Ebonyi, Abia, Imo, Anambra states, and even parts of Benue. It would play a role in the shaping of the voice of universities and youth culture. Syndicated shows like Rick Dees’ Weekly Top 40 and PJ Butter’s World Chart broadcast on Saturdays, brought international flair. Call-in programs allowed listeners to engage in, a novelty move at the time. The station would play a role in the reshaping of Enugu’s nightlife by hosting parties that catered to a subculture.
Their presenters were young and savvy—DJ Grandfingaz, X-Man, Cleopatra—and they engaged listeners in person. They would inspire young people to take up broadcasting careers and help spurn the rise of many radio stations across the region. Their voices were stellar as was their use of the English language. They were on top of developments in music globally and would play the latest songs in a matter of days of its release. Enugu had never had it so good. And so far, no other radio station has matched its brilliance.
Grooming Enugu Artists
Flavour’s, (born Chinedu Izuchukwu Okoli) efforts would draw Enugu music into the epicentre of Nigerian music. His first hit, N’abania released in 2008 was extremely popular in Enugu. While it was his sophomore album, Uplifted (2010) that would make Flavour the national and continental phenomenon that he presently is, N’abania marked the beginning of his rise to national and international fame.
N’abania was a success in part because of a feature by the most prominent artist from the region at the time, Nigga Raw. In August 2005, Raw released Right and Wrung, the first and definitive album of the Igbo rap subgenre. This seminal work spanned classic songs like Obodo and Hip Hop Gyration and made Raw a regional institution. The collaboration, alongside the musical innovations on the highlife genre, made the record a hit.
More than that, Cosmo FM played a huge role in Flavour’s music as it did in others including Raw, J Martins, Ill Bliss, Slow Dog, Bracket among many others. They would play a singular most important role in the rise of Igbo rap.
How Cosmo FM Helped Gestate Igbo Rap
The genesis of Igbo rap can be traced back to a song that began airing on Cosmo FM in its early years, around 2003. This pioneering work was created by a duo known as Dodge and Slowdog. While the title was not officially given, as it was a radio song, the hook became its identifying refrain: “Just let yourself be what you wanna be, Slowdoggy dog!” To which there was a response: “It’s me!” This song marks the birth of the Igbo rap subgenre.
Following this seminal record by Dodge and Slowdog, many other artists and records began to emerge on the station with contributions that fuelled the growth of this new cultural phenomenon. When Raw released Right and Wrung in 2005, what is the first and definitive album of the Igbo rap subgenre, with classic songs like Obodo and Hip Hop Gyration, Cosmo FM kept the songs on repeat. Alongside massive airplay, the station supported them with meet-and-greets, interviews and parties. These efforts would pave the way for the rise of Enugu music as a national and continental force.
The Sad End of Cosmo FM
Good things, they say do not last long, especially in Nigeria. And Cosmo FM’s impact did not last for long. By December 2006, the EFCC raided Nnamani’s businesses, including Cosmo FM on suspicions that Nnamani had misappropriated state funds. By May 2007, as Nnamani’s tenure ended, a Lagos court indicted him for N5.3 billion in corruption charges. The court ordered the forfeiture of Cosmo FM and his other companies.
The station limped on, but inconsistent programming and departing presenters signalled decline. By August 2009, Cosmo was sealed, and in 2015, Nnamani’s company pleaded guilty and surrendered the station permanently. Cosmo FM vanished, but with its legacy as Enugu’s sonic pioneer, gone but etched in the hearts of Enugu’s and Southeast’s millennials who remember it for having paved the way for our greatest exports so far, Flavour and Phyno.
