Toluwanisings

Olayemi Bayonile Bolaji was born on 8 July 1985, according to Radio Nigeria Ibadan, and hailed from Ikirun in Osun State, south-western Nigeria. (BBC Yoruba noted that it could not find a published record of his birth year; his reported age of 41 at death is consistent with 1985.)

In a 2024 interview on actress Biola Adebayo's Talk To B podcast, he said he was born into a Muslim family and given the name Sodiq. He grew up practising Islam, and his earliest musical experience was Fuji, the Yoruba popular style, before he converted to Christianity. Later profiles also describe him singing in church choirs before he stepped out as a soloist.

He attended Aagba Methodist High School in Osun State. After completing secondary school in Ikirun he moved to Lagos, where he gained admission to Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH) and studied Estate Management and Valuation.

Toluwanisings said he had been singing for around twelve years before he became widely known. He opened his YouTube channel in December 2020, and his breakthrough came in 2021 when comedian and minister Woli Arole shared one of his songs on Instagram. The exposure sent large numbers of listeners to his channel, and in May 2021 he released the official version of the song, "Kos'Oluwa Laye".

Based in Ibadan, he led the Toluwani Gospel Music Ministry (TOGOMM) and became known for high-energy live praise that invited audiences to sing and dance along. His catalogue includes "A Very Big God" (official video 2024), "Onibuore" (2024), "Kabiesi Olorun Ayo" (2025), "Eleda", "I'm Not Alone", "Owo Re Meji Meji", "Won Kere", "The Name of Jesus", "Ona Iye" and "E Lagbara" featuring Sarah Apekeola, released in a live version in August 2026. His "Unreserved Praise" medley series began with a February 2025 recording that passed five million YouTube views; Volume 2 followed in May 2025 and Volume 4 on 8 July 2026, his 41st birthday.

He collaborated with Adeyinka Alaseyori on "Ase Ti Jade" and worked with Tosin Bee, and he ministered widely at church programmes and gospel concerts, including the LULI concert in 2025. Streaming platforms, Instagram and TikTok carried his songs far beyond Ibadan; by 2026 his TikTok account had more than 750,000 followers.

Toluwanisings was married to Itohan. In late September 2026, shortly before his death, he marked their fifth wedding anniversary, describing their years together as a journey of "walking together, growing together, loving each other" and calling his wife his "partner, my friend, my safe place, and my greatest blessing". (Pulse Nigeria reported the marriage as 2020; the anniversary post points to 2021.)

The couple had two daughters: Ogo O'Tope Hephzibah, who turned four in July 2026, and Irorun O'toyin Deborah Iyinponmile Apeke, who turned two on 8 October 2026, six days before her father died. The family lived in the Oluwakehin area of Alakia, Ibadan.

In July 2026 he and members of his band survived a serious road crash when their bus collided with a fully loaded trailer on the way back from a ministration. He shared photographs of the damaged bus on Instagram and wrote, "And we survived what would have claimed our lives."

A convert from Islam, Toluwanisings framed his work as ministry. Profiles after his death stress that he used songs to encourage faith and draw listeners closer to God, treating each performance as worship rather than entertainment. His lyrics centre on praise, gratitude and God's faithfulness, and he often credited God for protection, as after the July 2026 crash, when he wrote that "God is the only sure plug when it comes to protection" and "Jesus does save!!!"

Toluwanisings belonged to a generation of Nigerian gospel ministers who built their audiences online rather than only through church circuits. His fusion of indigenous Yoruba praise idioms with contemporary gospel production made his songs both congregational and personal, and recordings such as "Unreserved Praise", "Onibuore" and "A Very Big God" became widely used in churches and in user-made prayer videos.

His sudden death at 41, after reportedly being taken to several Ibadan hospitals during a doctors' strike, made him a focal point of online discussion about emergency medical care in Nigeria. Colleagues said his songs would keep speaking after him, and within days tribute mixes of his music were circulating online.

No major industry awards have been reported in the sources reviewed. His recognition came chiefly through audience reach: several of his YouTube recordings passed one million views, "Unreserved Praise with Toluwanisings" passed five million, and he was described by the BBC as one of Nigeria's most popular gospel singers.

His rise was driven by social media: Woli Arole's 2021 Instagram post of his singing launched him to a national audience, and his songs circulated widely on Instagram and TikTok as soundtracks for prayer and worship clips. In November 2024 he appeared on episode 99 of Biola Adebayo's Talk To B podcast, titled "I Used To Be A Fuji Musician", where he discussed his Muslim upbringing, his Fuji beginnings and his conversion. His death was covered by the BBC World Service in English, Pidgin and Yoruba, as well as Channels Television, TVC News, The Guardian Nigeria, Premium Times, Vanguard and Pulse Nigeria.

On the night of Tuesday 13 October 2026, Toluwanisings ministered at In His Presence, a monthly worship concert hosted by gospel singer Bidemi Olaoba in Ibadan. In the early hours of Wednesday 14 October he suddenly slumped at his home in the Alakia area of Ibadan; some reports said he had complained of tiredness and collapsed on a staircase.

His personal assistant, Babadunni Gbolabo, told BBC Yoruba that the singer had not been ill. Those with him tried to resuscitate him and took him to seven or eight hospitals in Ibadan; some said their doctors were on strike, others that doctors were unavailable, and some declined to admit him. He was eventually confirmed dead and his body was taken to a mortuary.

Rumours of his death spread online throughout Wednesday, with Woli Agba and Lanre Alewilese urging fans not to conclude, until his family confirmed it late that night in a statement on his Instagram page. The family did not give a cause of death, which has not been made public, and said funeral arrangements would be announced in due course. The family later disowned a fake online fundraising appeal in the name of his wife and children, saying any genuine appeal would come only through his verified page.

Tributes came from Woli Agba, who called it a "sunset at midday", Tope Alabi, Funke Akindele, Bidemi Olaoba, Adeyinka Alaseyori, Wumi Toriola, Jaiye Kuti, Pelumi Deborah, Paul Tomisin, Dare Justified, Rotimi Salami, Boye Best and many others. He was 41 and is survived by his wife and two daughters.