The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has denied having any official record of gospel singer Toluwanisings being brought to its facility before his reported death, following allegations by his personal assistant that several hospitals refused to attend to him during an emergency.
The singer, whose real name was Olayemi Bolaji, reportedly collapsed on October 14, 2026, prompting a desperate search for medical attention.
His personal assistant, Babadunni Olayemi, alleged that the team visited between seven and eight hospitals in an effort to save the singer, but were unable to secure the needed medical care.
According to the assistant, some hospitals reportedly cited an ongoing doctors’ strike, while others allegedly refused to attend to the singer.
“Some said the doctors were on strike, while others said he was rejected at the hospitals,” the assistant said while recounting the circumstances surrounding the incident.
However, UCH’s Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Enitan, said the hospital had resumed services and had no official record indicating that Toluwanisings was brought to the facility.
Enitan also clarified that the doctors’ strike was a local action and not a nationwide industrial action, distinguishing the situation from a general shutdown of medical services across the country.
Meanwhile, the Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, reportedly said she was unaware of the singer’s death when contacted by journalists.
The conflicting accounts have drawn attention to the circumstances surrounding the singer’s final hours and renewed concerns about access to emergency medical services in Nigeria.
The incident has also reignited public debate over the responsibility of healthcare facilities to provide urgent medical attention to critically ill patients, particularly during industrial disputes and other disruptions to hospital services.
Questions are now being raised about the challenges patients face when seeking emergency care and the measures needed to ensure that life-threatening cases receive timely attention.
As of the accounts provided, UCH has denied having an official record of the singer’s admission, while the allegations of hospital rejection were made by his personal assistant.
