Sabitiyu Olayemi, grandmother of late gospel singer Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, popularly known as Toluwanisings, has alleged that he neglected her for years before his death, while insisting that he should be buried at his house rather than in a cemetery.
Olayemi made the claims in an interview in Osun State, shared on social media on Monday.
She said she helped care for the singer and his mother before he relocated to Lagos but had not seen him for more than five years.
According to her, she knew him as a musician but was unaware that he had built a house or organised a housewarming ceremony.
She recalled that Toluwanisings once visited her with his wife and first child but alleged that he rarely provided financial support afterwards.
Olayemi said that after she contacted him to complain about his absence, he sent her ₦10,000 on approximately three occasions but subsequently stopped.
She also alleged that attempts to reach him through his elder sibling were unsuccessful and that he did not provide money for her medication or medical expenses.
Despite the alleged neglect, she said his death had deeply affected her, describing him as her child and an achievement.
“I felt so bad, even though I did not benefit, he is still my child,” she said.
The grandmother also rejected plans to bury him in a cemetery, insisting that his remains should be interred at his house.
The burial controversy has divided family members. His father, Muniru Adekunle Olayemi, had also expressed a preference for burying him at the house he built or beside his late mother in Osun State.
Meanwhile, a man identifying himself as the singer’s uncle, Lawal Ademola, has called for an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
