Social Democratic Party presidential candidate for the 2027 election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has criticised Nigeria’s healthcare system following the death of gospel singer Toluwanisings, describing the country’s emergency medical response as severely inadequate.

Adebayo said the 41-year-old singer’s death exposed what he described as serious failures in Nigeria’s public healthcare system, particularly the inability of patients in critical condition to obtain timely emergency treatment.

The SDP candidate spoke through his Chief Adviser on Media and Communications to the Adebayo-Bugaje Presidential Campaign, Comrade Mark Adebayo.

His comments followed reports that Toluwanisings, whose real name was Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, was turned away by several hospitals in Ibadan, Oyo State, after he collapsed at his residence.

Reports attributed the difficulty in securing treatment to an ongoing doctors’ strike and shortages of medical personnel at some facilities.

Toluwanisings reportedly fell ill on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, less than a day after performing at a monthly worship programme.

According to accounts attributed to his personal assistant and media reports, efforts to obtain medical attention took the singer to between seven and eight hospitals in Ibadan before he eventually died.

Reacting to the development, Adebayo described the death as potentially preventable and questioned the state of emergency healthcare in the country.

“I am very sad about this tragic but avoidable tragedy. Nigeria continues to lose its citizens simply because of a broken healthcare system or even an outright absence of one, especially emergency medical response. It is zero!” he said.

The SDP candidate also compared Nigeria’s healthcare system with that of neighbouring Benin Republic, claiming that some Nigerians now travel across the border to seek medical attention because of shortcomings in domestic healthcare facilities.

He argued that despite Nigeria’s larger population and resources, its healthcare system had failed to provide adequate services to citizens.

“You cannot believe that Benin Republic, a country that Nigeria is about 20 times its size and much less resourced than Nigeria, has one of the best medical facilities and personnel in West Africa,” he said.

Adebayo further accused political leaders of neglecting public hospitals because many of them have the financial capacity to seek treatment outside the country.

He argued that the situation had left ordinary Nigerians vulnerable to preventable deaths from conditions that could otherwise be treated if emergency medical services were readily available.

“The people in government don’t care about providing functional healthcare for the people because if they suffer ordinary mosquito bite they’re running abroad for treatment. Meanwhile, Nigerians are dying in their hundreds daily of treatable diseases,” he said.

The death of the gospel singer has generated reactions on social media, with several Nigerians expressing concerns about the state of emergency medical services.

Activist VeryDarkMan was among those who criticised the government over the condition of public healthcare and questioned the adequacy of emergency response mechanisms.

Adebayo also mourned the loss of Toluwanisings, describing him as a promising young artiste whose career was still developing.

He said the singer’s death highlighted the human consequences of weaknesses in the country’s healthcare system.

“Now we have lost a growing young artiste with a more promising future to the cold hands of death due to the country’s leadership carelessness. Nigeria has become a situation of the dead mourning the dead. So pathetic!” he said.

The SDP candidate extended his condolences to the singer’s family, members of his church and colleagues in the music industry.