By George Omagbemi
Social media activist Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), has condemned the state of Nigeria’s healthcare system following the death of gospel singer Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, questioning why ordinary citizens struggle to obtain emergency treatment while political elites can reportedly access private jets and overseas medical care.
In a video shared online, VDM accused the government of failing Nigerians who depend on public hospitals, arguing that access to emergency healthcare should not be a privilege reserved for the wealthy and politically connected.
“They have private jets ready to send their kids abroad if they have a medical emergency,” he said, contrasting the treatment available to political elites with the difficulties reportedly faced by the singer and those trying to save him.
VDM also challenged the public to demand functioning hospitals, adequate staffing and reliable emergency services rather than accept persistent failures as inevitable.
“Prayer is good. Prayer is very good. However, some things we don’t deserve to pray for. We shouldn’t be praying for primary health care,” he said.
A death that raises urgent questions
Toluwanisings, 41, died on Wednesday, October 14, prompting an outpouring of grief and renewed scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding his final hours.
His personal assistant, Babadunni Gbolabo, said the singer was taken to approximately seven or eight hospitals in Ibadan as efforts were made to obtain treatment. According to his account, some facilities reportedly cited a doctors’ strike, while others declined to admit him.
If confirmed, the reported difficulties raise serious questions about emergency referrals, hospital capacity and the availability of timely treatment for critically ill patients.
The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, said it had no official record of Toluwanisings being brought to the facility. Its response did not establish what happened at the other hospitals mentioned in reports.
The singer’s official cause of death has not been publicly established, and the accounts surrounding his attempts to obtain treatment require further investigation.
Beyond outrage, accountability is needed. VDM’s criticism has brought renewed attention to a basic question: what happens when a Nigerian needs urgent medical attention but cannot secure admission or timely treatment?
No family should have to navigate a chain of hospitals without clear guidance while a loved one’s condition deteriorates. Hospitals need effective emergency protocols, adequate staffing and referral systems that direct patients to facilities capable of treating them.
The government, hospital authorities and relevant health agencies must answer legitimate questions about the reported events, establish what went wrong where evidence supports an investigation, and address any failures identified.
Toluwanisings’ death should not become another public controversy that fades without answers. The circumstances deserve a transparent examination—not speculation, political point-scoring or silence.
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