Outrage trails death of singer Ifunanya Nwangene over lack of antivenom in hospitals

The death of aspiring singer and social media personality, Ifunanya Nwangene, who reportedly died on Saturday after suffering a snake bite, has sparked widespread outrage on Nigerian social media, with many blaming systemic failures in the country’s healthcare sector.

Nigerians across X, Instagram and other platforms expressed anger and frustration over what they described as the inability of health institutions to provide basic, life-saving treatment.

According to netizens, Nwangene’s death could have been prevented if the hospitals she was rushed to had antivenom readily available.

The 26-year-old singer, who gained wider recognition after appearing on The Voice Nigeria in 2021 and later built a following on TikTok, was reportedly bitten by a snake at her residence in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

She was said to have been taken to two different hospitals, but died after neither facility could administer antivenom.

Many Nigerians described the incident as tragic and unacceptable, noting that Nwangene’s case gained national attention largely because of her social media popularity, while similar incidents occur daily across the country without public notice.

Popular health influencer, Aproko Doctor, blamed what he described as deep-rooted systemic failures, arguing that snake bites are common worldwide but rarely fatal where healthcare systems function properly.

“What if I tell you it is the system that killed her?” he wrote. “Snakes bite people everywhere — in the bush or the city, in India, Australia and other countries. But people don’t die simply because they went to two hospitals and were told antivenom was unavailable, in a country where snakes live, in 2026.”

He further questioned why Nigeria-specific antivenom, known as Echitab, was not available in hospital storage facilities, blaming misplaced priorities in public healthcare planning.

“Our politicians are building flyovers where ambulances do not exist. We are focused on ultramodern hospitals, while the primary healthcare centres — which should be the first point of call — are neglected,” he added.

Human rights activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, also weighed in, lamenting the decline of Nigeria’s once-respected health institutions.

He recalled that the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, was a preferred medical destination for Saudi royalty in the late 1950s and 1960s.

“In 2026 Nigeria, lives are being lost because hospitals lack basic antivenoms, while our doctors are all abroad,” Farotimi stated.

Similarly, animal and nature enthusiast known as Arojinle highlighted the scarcity of antivenom even in top medical facilities.

He noted that UCH Ibadan and Adeoyo State Hospital, both regarded as leading hospitals in Oyo State, reportedly do not have antivenom in stock.

“That is the reality in the country,” he said, recounting a case where someone had to visit 13 pharmacies before finding antivenom.

Nwangene’s death has reignited conversations around emergency preparedness, primary healthcare funding and access to essential medicines, with many Nigerians calling for urgent reforms to prevent further avoidable losses of life.