The death of popular gospel singer Olayemi Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, has sparked outrage following allegations that several hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State, failed to provide him with emergency treatment after he collapsed.
The controversy has renewed concerns about emergency healthcare services in the country, with Nigerians demanding answers over the circumstances surrounding the singer’s death.
Toluwanisings’ personal assistant, Babadunni Olayemi, alleged that efforts to save the singer failed after he was taken to some hospitals in Ibadan.
“They took him to different hospitals. Some said the doctors were on strike, while others said he was rejected at the hospitals. We all tried, praying for him and taking him around to hospitals. We took him to about seven or eight different hospitals here in Ibadan, but God said it was his time,” he said.
Some Nigerians linked the reported difficulties in accessing emergency care to a strike by resident doctors at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, while others accused the government of neglecting the health sector.
However, the Public Relations Officer of UCH, Funmilayo Enitan, said the hospital had resumed services following the suspension of the resident doctors’ strike.
She said, “The hospital is running its services. The strike was a local one within the hospital; it was not a national strike. I was not aware that he was brought to UCH. I was not officially informed that he was brought to UCH. There was no record of it with the management.”
When contacted on Friday, the Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, said she did not know about the matter.
“Which gospel artiste? I don’t know the gospel artiste that died recently,” she said.
The state Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, neither answered calls nor responded to a WhatsApp message from Saturday PUNCH.
From fuji to gospel music
Before gaining recognition for his energetic praise songs and distinctive voice, Toluwanisings had spent years pursuing a musical career that began with fuji music.
Born in Ikirun, Osun State, he grew up in a Muslim family and was known as Sodiq before converting to Christianity.
In an interview with actress Biola Adebayo on her ‘Talk to B’ podcast, he spoke about his religious background and his early pursuit of a career in fuji music.
His conversion to Christianity marked a turning point in his life and musical career.
He subsequently devoted his talent to gospel music, blending contemporary gospel with Yoruba musical influences.
His distinctive style earned him a growing audience, particularly among lovers of energetic praise songs.
Beyond music, Toluwanisings studied Estate Management and Valuation at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, graduating in 2017.
He continued to pursue music, eventually building the career for which he became widely known.
During his interview with Adebayo, he also acknowledged the role his wife played in supporting his transition to gospel music.
However, his journey was not without personal challenges.
A family source said the singer struggled to finance his education.
According to the source, he lost his mother at an early age, while his father later remarried.
The source added that Toluwanisings later helped his step-sibling relocate to the United Kingdom.
“He was only starting to enjoy the fruits of his labour before death snatched him away,” the source said.
Family bars journalists, photography
Meanwhile, the family of the late singer barred journalists and other visitors from taking photographs or recording videos within its compound, warning that violators would face consequences.
When one of our correspondents visited his residence in Oluwakeeyin Community, Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Friday, the neighbourhood was relatively calm.
Family members, colleagues and friends gathered outside the compound, discussing his death.
A notice pasted on the gate read, “No photo, no video; media are not allowed in this compound. If you are caught, you will face the consequences.”
A female resident, who declined to be named because she was not authorised to speak to journalists, urged our correspondent to leave the area.
“My dear brother, have you not gone there? Don’t you see what the family pasted at the gate? You better take your leave. If they catch you, hmmm,” she said.
Another resident described the singer as gentle and easy-going.
“It is painful. A young man, an easy-going person who could not hurt a fly, would just die like that. I cannot say anything or give you my personal details because the family has warned everybody. If you go to their gate right now, it is widely written there. So, for this reason, I cannot say more than this. May God repose his soul and be with the family he left behind,” the resident said.
Tributes pour in, Nigerians slam healthcare system
Following news of the singer’s death, comedian and content creator Ayo Ajewole, popularly known as Woli Agba, expressed sadness.
He described Toluwanisings as a musician with a “very unique voice”, whose songs brought joy, touched lives and created beautiful memories.
Woli Agba also revealed that the singer had repeatedly expressed concerns about Nigeria’s healthcare system.
“What he feared most and talked about repeatedly was what eventually affected him. He said many times, if not for anything, he would consider going abroad just because of Nigeria’s unreliable healthcare system,” he wrote.
Gospel singer Esther Igbekele also paid tribute to Toluwanisings, describing him as a humble and kind-hearted colleague.
She said she was devastated by his death and recalled their last conversation during her mother’s funeral.
Although he could not attend the funeral, she said he sent money towards the programme, a gesture she described as a reflection of his character.
“He was humility and respect personified,” she wrote, adding that he had shown genuine love and left cherished memories.
Comedian and skit maker Akewusola Oladipupo, aka MC Always, accused the government of neglecting the health sector and urged Nigerians to hold political leaders accountable.
In a video addressing the tragedy, he said timely access to appropriate medical care could save lives during emergencies.
Citing consultations with doctors, MC Always listed severe heart attack, pulmonary embolism and severe stroke as possible causes of the singer’s collapse. However, none of these conditions has been medically established as the cause of death.
“Many of you living in Ibadan do not even know that doctors at the UCH have been on a three-day warning strike since Monday. This is not an act of God. The government should be held accountable for the state of the country’s health system and the consequences for patients,” he added.
The comedian also raised concerns about the availability of specialised medical equipment, particularly catheterisation laboratories, commonly known as cath labs, which are used to diagnose and treat certain heart conditions.
Other Nigerians took to X to express concern about the state of healthcare in the country, with some recounting personal experiences of losing loved ones during medical emergencies.
Social media commentator Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, blamed the singer’s death on what he described as neglect of the health sector.
“If the hospitals were not on strike, Toluwanisings would be alive,” he said.
An X user, @festbrzy, wrote, “When I lost my mum in 2020, I understood that any healthy person can die in Nigeria in a split second just because of one medical emergency or the other. We have no value for lives in Nigeria; healthcare is no priority.”
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Similarly, Popoola Gboyega (@poga11) questioned the state of public hospitals in Ibadan and called for an investigation into allegations that some facilities refused to admit the singer.
Another user, @alabi_fayzh, claimed that a relative had died after medical personnel failed to respond adequately to worsening complaints during treatment.
Adesanya Adebayo said the circumstances surrounding Toluwanisings’ death highlighted what he described as the absence of an effective emergency response system in Nigeria.
“No 911 that shows up, stabilises you, and gets you to the hospital. When time is life, we are still depending on private cars and ‘hope a hospital accepts him,’” he wrote.
A Facebook user, Oduntan Rebecca, urged Nigerians to consider investing in hospitals rather than depending solely on the government for healthcare services.
She questioned how hospitals could operate without essential emergency equipment and called for improved facilities, qualified doctors and acceptable standards of care.
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