Sabitiyu Olayemi, the grandmother of the late gospel artist Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, known as Toluwanisings, has claimed that he overlooked her for years prior to his passing, asserting that he ceased providing her with money after occasionally aiding her financially.
In an interview conducted in Osun with journalist Dunmininu and shared on social media on Monday, the grandmother mentioned that she had assisted in caring for the singer and his mother prior to his relocation to Lagos but had not seen him for over five years.
“We have been looking after Sodiq (Toluwanisings) and his mother since long before he traveled to Lagos. He went to Arabic institutions. When he attended grammar school, I would go to see him,” she remarked.
She mentioned that she was aware her grandson was a musician, but she did not know he had constructed a house or had a housewarming celebration.
“I simply knew he was a musician.” I didn’t know he constructed a house; I wasn’t informed about a housewarming. Although I wish to call him, they will insist that I shouldn’t. “It has been more than five years since I first saw him,” she remarked.
The grandmother remembered that the singer came to see her with his wife and their first child but claimed he infrequently provided her with financial assistance afterwards.
She mentioned that she had previously requested assistance from someone in the village to contact him because she wished to talk to him.
“I phoned and informed him it was I.” He replied, ‘Ahh, Mom.’ I mentioned to him that you can’t even inquire about me. She recounted that he mentioned it is work that has posed an obstacle.
She claimed that the singer transferred ₦10,000 to her approximately three times following their talk, but he has not sent her any money since then.
She also claimed that when her cell phone was broken and she requested the singer’s older sibling to help her reach him for a replacement, the sibling told her not to call him.
When asked if the singer provided her with medication or financial help for medical costs due to her age, she responded, “Sodiq (Toluwanisings) doesn’t send me anything.”
Regardless of the reported neglect, the grandmother expressed that she was profoundly impacted by his passing.
“When I learned he had passed away, I was very upset, even though I gained nothing; he is still my son.” I recognize he remains an accomplishment. I don’t see Sodiq. I have embraced my destiny. “I wish God had called me home, so I wouldn’t witness this wickedness,” she said.
She also disagreed with interring the singer in a cemetery, insisting that he ought to be laid to rest at his home.
“I disagree with the idea that Toluwanisings should be interred in a cemetery.” They should bury him at his house. “They ought not to come and lay him to rest near his mother,” she remarked.
She emphasized that his remains must be interred at the house, stating, “It cannot be done; he must be laid to rest there.”
The death of Toluwanisings has caused a conflict among family members regarding his burial plans. His father, Muniru Adekunle Olayemi, stated he wished for his son to be interred in the house he constructed or alongside his late mother in Osun State.
The father also challenged claims that the singer was 44 at the time of his death, stating he was 34. In the meantime, a man claiming to be the singer’s uncle, Lawal Ademola, has requested an unbiased inquiry into the events leading to his death.
