How Nigeria failed Dagrin – Photographer Toni Payne

Nigerian Photographer Toni Payne has narrated how the Nigerian health care system failed the late Veteran Rapper Oladapo Olaitan Olaonipekun, professionally known as Dagrin.

The visual artist who said that she sometimes thinks about the rapper because of his originality took to her Instagram platform to share how the rapper struggled for his life due to the doctors on strike.

Sometimes I be sitting here thinking about Dagrin… lol in an Industry with many fake people who just wanna use you… dude was a real one. I still get angry when I recall him being strapped to that hospital bed or the fucking doctors being on strike. Naija Failed that man cos he fought for his life, she wrote.

She also used the opportunity to share some  ]of the memories she had with the rapper before his death at the age of 25 on 22 April 2010 after a vehicle accident in Lagos, Nigeria.

I can never forget how he brought me 50-liter fuel late at night during the fuel scarcity… It was so thoughtful of him cos omo even i couldn’t find fuel anywhere and he just showed up to my house like… Surprise lol… he knew i had connects but never asked or expected anything from me…. Just plain cool friendship…  plus our many gossip when i couldn’t make it to a show cos i wantd to stay at home with Z…. i’d  get all the gist of who is doing what like i was there so i didn’t miss out…. or driving late night looking for chinese food…. miss that dude for real

Toni Payne is a Visual Artist (Photography & Digital Art), Creative Writer and Poet whose focus include Food, Travel, Architecture, Wildlife, Documentary Photography and pretty much anything that catches her eye.

According to the biograpphy on her website, She studied Video and Digital Art, graduating with a Bachelors in the Arts and has background in Photography, TV and Film Production, PR and Music Management.

Her love for photography fused with a deep a passion for documentary, travel, wildlife, history and culture, has morphed into one of her life’s ambitions; which is, to travel the world, while documenting different people, places, food, and culture.