Gospel singer Lanre Alewilese apologises to Toluwanisings’ wife over N6m fundraising for relative’s UK fees

Gospel singer Lanre Alewilese has apologised to Elizabeth Akanbi, wife of the late singer Toluwanisings, over his decision to organise a N6m fundraising effort for a UK-based relative of the deceased, towards the relative's school fees, according to Punch.

Alewilese made the apology in a statement on his Facebook page and addressed the matter in an Instagram video on Wednesday. He said he facilitated the fundraising after the young man told him that Toluwanisings had promised to pay his £6,500 school fees shortly before his death. Punch names the relative as Shadrach Taiwo, while Legit.ng's reports call him Taye and Taiwo Olawoyin.

The controversy began after an Instagram user, Yinka TNT, shared an audio recording purportedly featuring Toluwanisings complaining about the financial burden of paying for the relative's education in the UK. In the recording, the late singer was allegedly heard saying he had spent about N12m on the young man's education and could no longer sustain the responsibility. Yinka TNT also alleged that the singer had fallen out with members of his maternal family over the matter. These claims have not been independently verified.

The row grew on Wednesday when Yinka TNT shared a payment receipt showing a N6m transfer to the relative days after the singer's death. Some people criticised Alewilese, accusing him of going against the late singer by backing his maternal family.

In his video, Alewilese said he did not know that the relative was not Toluwanisings' biological sibling until after the singer died. According to Legit.ng, he said Toluwanisings himself had introduced the man as his brother, born of the same father and mother, and that he had served as best man at the singer's wedding. With that understanding, Alewilese said, he had no reason to doubt the relationship.

He said he raised funds and sent money abroad after learning of a deportation threat, believing he was helping a brother of his late colleague. He added that he cancelled shows abroad and went into debt to return to Nigeria after Toluwanisings' death. He opened by apologising to Nigerians and his fans for being drawn into the saga and urged bloggers to report his words accurately and not out of context.

On Thursday, Legit.ng reported that the UK-based relative, Taiwo Olawoyin, responded in a voice note shared by Yinka TNT. He denied influencing Toluwanisings not to empower his wife, including a claim that the singer failed to open a shop for her, and said he had borrowed money from the singer and was never an obstacle to his success.

Toluwanisings died on October 14, 2026, and was later buried in Ibadan after a dispute over where he should be laid to rest. Alewilese had earlier defended the widow in an Instagram video, saying she was young and accommodating and asking Nigerians to let peace reign while the family mourned.

The accounts of the fundraising, the audio and the receipt come from social media posts and the people involved, and the family has not settled the matter publicly.