Following the death of Ifunanya Nwangene, who died on Saturday after suffering a snake bite, Nigerians have taken to social media to express outrage over what they described as systemic failures within the country’s healthcare sector.
Many netizens argued that Nwangene’s death could have been avoided if the hospitals she was taken to had antivenom readily available.
The 26 year old aspiring singer, who gained wider recognition after appearing on The Voice Nigeria in 2021 and later showcased her talent on TikTok, was reportedly bitten by a snake at her residence in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.
According to reports, Nwangene was rushed to two hospitals but died after the facilities were unable to administer antivenom.
Describing the incident as tragic, social media users noted that the case attracted attention largely because of the victim’s online popularity, stressing that similar situations play out daily in hospitals across the country.
A medical influencer known as Aproko Doctor said the death was a consequence of systemic failure rather than the snake bite itself.
“What if I tell you it is the system that killed her? Snakes bite people everywhere, whether you are in the bush or the city, in India, Australia, or other countries.
“Snakes bite people everywhere, but they do not die like this. They do not die just because they went to two hospitals and were told straight to their faces that antivenom was unavailable in a country where snakes live, in 2026, not 1980 or 1970.
“And when you think about it, Nigeria has a particular antivenom developed for Nigerian snakes. It is called ‘Echitab’. The question is why was this antivenom not in the fridges of the hospitals she went to? Simply because we have forgotten the basics.
“Our politicians are building flyovers where ambulances do not exist. We are focusing on building ultramodern hospitals, whereas the primary healthcare centre, which should be the first point of call in any functioning country, is neglected.”
Human rights activist and lawyer Dele Farotimi also lamented the state of the nation’s health system.
“The University College Hospital Ibadan was the preferred hospital for the Saudi royal family in the late 1950s and 1960s. It was that good. But in 2026 Nigeria, lives are being lost because our hospitals lack basic antivenoms, while our doctors are all abroad,” he said.
An animal and nature enthusiast known as Arojinle highlighted the widespread nature of the challenge.
“UCH is among the top three medical facilities in Nigeria, yet it does not have antivenom. The same applies to Adeoyo State Hospital, the top state hospital in Ibadan. That is the situation in the country.
“I know of someone who needed antivenom at one time. They went to 12 pharmacies but could not get it until they visited the 13th pharmacy,” he said.
