Image credit: Instagram — Aproko Doctor / Ifunanya Nwangene
The tragic death of fast-rising Nigerian musician Ifunanya Nwangene has left many Nigerians heartbroken. But according to popular health advocate Aproko Doctor, the real cause of her death goes far beyond a snake bite.
Reacting to the incident, Aproko Doctor made a powerful point snakes bite people every day in Nigeria in villages, cities, farms, and even homes and many survive. So the question is, why didn’t she?
“Ifunanya did not die simply because she was bitten by a snake,” he explained. “She died because she went to two hospitals and was told they did not have anti-venom.”
In a country where snakes exist in every region in 2026, not 1980 this reality is both shocking and unacceptable.
Aproko Doctor urged Nigerians to think beyond this single case and consider the countless others who suffer similar bites but have no platform, no voice, and no one to tell their story. People whose futures are quietly cut short because the system failed them.
What makes the situation even more painful, he noted, is that Nigeria actually has its own snake anti-venom, specifically developed for local snake species. It is called Echitab.
So the real question becomes:
Why wasn’t this life-saving anti-venom available in the hospitals she visited?
According to him, the answer lies in misplaced priorities.
While politicians focus on flyovers where ambulances barely function and ultra-modern hospitals meant for ribbon-cutting ceremonies, the primary healthcare centres the true first point of care in any functional country are neglected.
“These small hospitals close to the people should have the basics,” he stressed.
Anti-venom. Oxygen. Trained personnel who know what to do in emergencies.
Instead, healthcare projects are driven by what looks good for the next election, not by what actually saves lives.
He also addressed the ongoing issue of doctors’ strikes, noting that when medical professionals demand better working conditions and resources to do their jobs properly, they are often painted as villains while those responsible for funding and equipping the system escape accountability.
Perhaps most troubling is how quickly the conversation has shifted for some Nigerians.
Rather than asking why hospitals lacked anti-venom, some have chosen to label the incident a “spiritual snake” or blame mystical forces.
“This is how we are kept down,” Aproko Doctor warned.
“When leaders spin a story, many people run with it instead of asking hard questions.”
Questions like:
• Where did the money budgeted for primary healthcare go?
• Why are life-saving drugs missing from hospitals?
• Why do preventable deaths keep happening?
In the end, Ifunanya’s death is not just a personal tragedy it is a reflection of a broken system.
And until Nigerians stop accepting distractions and start demanding answers, the basics will keep being forgotten and lives will keep being lost.
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