UCH Breaks Silence On Alleged Rejection Of Late Gospel Singer Toluwanisings

The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has responded to allegations that it rejected late gospel singer Olayemi Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, when he was reportedly taken there for emergency medical attention before his death.

The singer reportedly died on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, after slumping at his residence while preparing to take his child to school.

Following his death, his personal assistant, Babadunni Olayemi, alleged that efforts to secure emergency treatment for the singer at several hospitals in Ibadan were unsuccessful.

According to the aide, the singer was taken to about seven or eight hospitals but was unable to receive the necessary medical attention before he was eventually pronounced dead.

He claimed that some of the hospitals cited an ongoing strike by doctors as the reason they could not attend to the singer.

“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,” the aide said.

The allegations triggered reactions on social media, with some Nigerians expressing concern over access to emergency medical services and linking the reported difficulties to industrial action by resident doctors at UCH.

However, the hospital’s Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Enitan, said the facility had resumed services following the suspension of the resident doctors’ strike.

Enitan explained that the industrial action was limited to the hospital and was not a nationwide strike. She also said the hospital’s management had no official record indicating that the late singer was brought to the facility.

“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,” she said.

When contacted on Friday, Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, said she was unaware of the incident.

“Which gospel artiste? I don’t know the gospel artiste that died recently,” she said.

Meanwhile, the singer’s colleague and close friend, Woli Agba, expressed concern over the circumstances surrounding his death, recalling that Toluwanisings had repeatedly spoken about his fears concerning Nigeria’s healthcare system.

In a post on his Instagram story on Friday, Woli Agba said the late singer had considered travelling abroad to access what he believed would be more reliable medical care.

“What he feared most and talked about repeatedly was what eventually affected him. He said many times that if not for anything, he’ll consider going abroad just because of Nigeria’s unreliable healthcare system.

“This is messing up with my mind in ways I can’t even begin to express,” he wrote.

Before gaining recognition for his energetic gospel performances and distinctive voice, Toluwanisings spent years pursuing a music career that reportedly began with Fuji music.

The singer was born in Ikirun, Osun State, and grew up in a Muslim family, where he was known as Sodiq before converting to Christianity.

His death and the conflicting accounts surrounding the reported attempts to obtain emergency treatment have renewed public discussion about the availability of timely medical care in Nigeria. However, the allegations that hospitals refused to treat him have not been independently established.