Snake Bite: FMC Jabi Explains Why Abuja Singer Nanyah Could Not Be Saved

Snake Bite: FMC Jabi Explains Why Abuja Singer Nanyah Could Not Be Saved

The Chief Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Professor Saad Ahmed, has explained to the Senate why the hospital could not save Abuja-based singer Ifunanya Nwangene, popularly known as Nanyah, who died after a cobra snake bite at her residence.

Professor Ahmed said the late singer arrived at the hospital more than two hours after the bite, describing the delay as critical and a major factor that led to her death.

He spoke to journalists on Saturday on the sidelines of the 2026 budget defence of the Senate Committee on Health, where heads of government-owned tertiary health institutions appeared to defend their allocations.

Nwangene reportedly died about a week ago after being bitten by a cobra, one of the most poisonous snake species.

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Addressing widespread reactions online, the FMC Jabi CMD dismissed claims on social media that the hospital lacked anti-snake venom, stressing that the drug was available and administered promptly on the singer’s arrival.

“This was a cobra bite, and cobra venom is extremely dangerous. Time is everything,” Ahmed said.

“She presented to our hospital over two hours after the bite. By that time, the venom had already gone systemic. Contrary to what was reported on social media, we had anti-venom in stock.”

According to him, two doses of anti-snake venom were administered immediately, but the treatment could not reverse the extensive damage already caused by the venom.

“The first infusion was given, followed by a second dose. Unfortunately, the venom had already spread through her system.

“If she had arrived much earlier—within 10 to 15 minutes—that is usually when anti-venom is most effective. Sadly, she came in after more than two hours,” he explained.

Professor Ahmed described the incident as a wake-up call for both the public and health authorities, underscoring the importance of early hospital presentation in emergency cases such as snake bites.

He maintained that FMC Jabi was fully prepared to manage such emergencies.

“For FMC Abuja, we had anti-snake venom fully stocked. Our emergency services are top-notch, and our staff were fully on ground,” he said.

Beyond the incident, the FMC boss also spoke on the ongoing debate around housemanship placements for newly qualified medical doctors. He supported calls for state and private hospitals to be integrated into Nigeria’s centralised housemanship system.

According to him, this would help address the growing shortage of placement spaces for young doctors.

“Housemanship is a critical stage where medical graduates acquire hands-on clinical experience before proceeding for NYSC,” Ahmed said.

“Most federal tertiary hospitals offer housemanship, but the quotas are not enough. This is not something you can expand arbitrarily—it depends on beds, specialists, and facilities.”

He added that if state governments participate fully in the centralised system, the challenges currently faced by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) would be significantly reduced.

“Once this is fully implemented, the issues raised by the MDCN Registrar will become a thing of the past,” he said.

 

Snake Bite: FMC Jabi Explains Why Abuja Singer Nanyah Could Not Be Saved