Father and widow of late gospel singer Toluwanisings clash over burial place as she refuses to allow him to be buried in the house he built

The father of late Nigerian gospel singer Toluwanisings has spoken about a reported disagreement with his son’s wife over where the musician should be buried, saying he wants him laid to rest in the house he built or beside his late mother.

The bereaved father, Muniru Adekunle Olayemi, also disputed reports that the singer was 44 when he died, insisting that his son was 34.

Speaking in an interview published by QED on October 25, 2026, Olayemi said the singer was born in July 1992 and was initially given the Muslim name Sodiq Olayemi Bayonle before he later embraced Christianity.

“My son is 34 years, not 44. People are just making different assumptions. I, the father, know when I gave birth to him,” he said.

Olayemi said his son’s mother died when the singer was about six months old. According to him, the family took her remains from Kano to her hometown in Agba, Osun State, after which her relatives asked to raise the child to help console them following her death.

The father said he would have preferred to raise his son himself but that the singer subsequently grew up with his maternal relatives, with support from other members of the family.

He recalled that the singer attended Methodist Secondary School in Agba before proceeding to Yaba College of Technology in Lagos.

late gospel minister, Toluwanisings

Olayemi said his son later moved to Lagos, where he met the woman who became his wife through their involvement in a church choir. He added that he had no problem with his son becoming a Christian, noting that both Christians and Muslims were represented in their family.

The father also described Toluwanisings as a supportive son who maintained a close relationship with his younger half-siblings and helped the family financially.

He said the singer had promised to help establish one of his younger half-siblings just a day before his death.

“He has really tried for me as a father,” Olayemi said, explaining that his son’s support was one of the reasons he wanted him buried in the house he built.

Recounting how he learnt of the singer’s death, Olayemi said he was attending a ceremony when he received a distress call asking him to return home. He said he was subsequently confronted with photographs of his son circulating online alongside messages announcing his death.

The singer died in Ibadan on October 14, 2026. His personal assistant, Babadunni Gbolabo, previously said the musician suddenly slumped and was taken to several hospitals. The family had not publicly disclosed an official cause of death in the reports reviewed.

After learning of the death, Olayemi said he contacted his daughter-in-law to discuss the burial arrangements. According to his account, she proposed that the singer be buried in a cemetery or church, while he preferred a burial inside the house his son had built.

He claimed that his daughter-in-law rejected the idea because she would not be comfortable living in a house where her husband was buried.

Olayemi said he then proposed an alternative: taking his son’s remains to Ikirun, Osun State, and burying him beside his late mother.

“If they won’t allow him to be buried inside his house, they should bring him down to the village where his mother is and bury him beside her,” he said.

The wife’s account of the reported disagreement was not included in the reports reviewed, and the final burial location had not been publicly confirmed at the time of publication.

A Night of Tributes and Service of Songs was announced for Tuesday, October 27, at Hall of Grace, Jogor Centre, Ibadan, at 3 p.m.