Gospel singer Lanre Alewilese apologises over a ₦6m donation to Shadrach Taiwo, saying he acted on information about the late Toluwanisings’ family
Gospel singer Lanre Alewilese has apologised to the wife of late singer Toluwanisings and others following controversy over his involvement in raising money for Shadrach Taiwo, whom he initially believed was the deceased’s biological brother.
Alewilese’s apology came after content creator Yinka TNT shared a payment receipt showing a transfer of ₦6m to Shadrach, days after Toluwanisings’ death.
The donation attracted criticism from some people who accused Alewilese of supporting the late singer’s maternal family against his widow, Damilola Elizabeth, amid an ongoing family dispute.
The controversy also followed an alleged audio recording in which Toluwanisings was reportedly heard saying he had spent about ₦12m on the young man’s education and could no longer sustain the financial responsibility.
Yinka TNT further alleged that the late singer had fallen out with members of his maternal family over the matter.
Responding in an Instagram video on Wednesday, Alewilese said he did not know Shadrach was not Toluwanisings’ biological sibling until after the singer’s death.
He explained that Toluwanisings had introduced Shadrach to him as his full brother and had never disclosed any different account of their relationship.
“Before Toluwani died, he introduced Shadrach Taiwo to me as his sibling from the same father and mother. He never told anyone about their relationship. This was the same boy that played the role of best man at his wedding,” Alewilese said.
He added that Toluwanisings had previously approached him for help in facilitating Shadrach’s travel to the United States, although the plan did not materialise.
According to Alewilese, he later learnt that Shadrach had secured admission to a university in the United Kingdom and that the late singer had been paying his tuition fees annually.
Recounting his involvement after the singer’s death, Alewilese said he was in the UK when he obtained Shadrach’s contact details from a member of Toluwanisings’ band.
He said he advised the young man to prepare to assume a father-figure responsibility towards the deceased’s children.
Alewilese said Shadrach told him he was shocked by Toluwanisings’ death and disclosed that they had spoken three days earlier. During the conversation, the late singer allegedly promised to pay his £6,500 school fees.
He also said Shadrach informed him that his UK visa was due to expire at the end of October and that the Home Office had asked him to renew it.
Alewilese explained that he could not immediately discuss the matter with Toluwanisings’ widow, prompting him to create a group to solicit financial support for Shadrach.
He said contributors donated believing Shadrach was the deceased’s biological brother, adding that the fundraising took place before information about the family disagreement emerged from Ikirun.
“I could not tell the wife about the situation, so I opened a group where we started soliciting funds for the brother. People were rendering support with the mindset that Shadrach was a blood relation of Toluwani,” he said.
In a Facebook statement titled “PUBLIC APOLOGY AND CLARIFICATION”, Alewilese admitted that he acted impulsively by helping to raise money for Shadrach’s school fees based on the information available to him at the time.
He apologised to Damilola Elizabeth, his colleagues and others in the entertainment industry who might have been affected by his actions.
He maintained that he had no intention of misleading the public or taking advantage of the situation, saying his involvement was motivated by concern and a desire to preserve the late singer’s commitment to Shadrach’s education.
“My intention was never to mislead anyone, create controversy, or take advantage of the situation. I acted out of concern, compassion, and a desire to ensure that the efforts of someone I deeply respected were not wasted,” he wrote.
The singer also accepted responsibility for his approach, expressing regret that he had not exercised better judgement before becoming involved.
Toluwanisings died on October 14 after reportedly being turned away by some hospitals while seeking medical attention.
His death was followed by a disagreement over his burial arrangements, which was eventually resolved after the Oyo State Police Command secured a peace undertaking from the parties involved.
The singer was buried at his residence on Monday.
