Toluwanisings' brother defends widow, says family rift began long before fame

A younger brother of the late gospel minister Toluwanisings has said the singer's widow is being unfairly blamed for the rift in his family, which is now spilling into arguments over his burial.

In a voice note that has spread widely on social media, and which has not been independently verified, he said the widow had nothing to do with the dispute and that people pointing fingers at her did not know the full story.

According to him, the tension goes back to the singer's childhood. He claimed relatives on Toluwanisings' mother's side shaped his view of his father's family early on, and that the singer kept his distance from his paternal relatives as an adult, often saying he was too busy with work.

He recalled their father ringing to ask why the singer rarely came home. He also said their grandmother once asked Toluwanisings to buy her an animal for Sallah (Ileya), and he turned her down because he was a Christian, which upset her and some other relatives.

The brother was quick to add that Toluwanisings did not abandon them. Their father had paid for the singer's schooling, and once the two made peace, the singer helped take care of him. He also described the singer as warm towards his step-siblings, especially the youngest.

Toluwanisings, whose real name was Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji, led the Toluwani Gospel Music Ministry (TOGOMM). His family announced his death on 14 October.