The chief medical director of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, Saad Ahmed, says the hospital was unable to save Ifunanya Nwangene, an Abuja-based singer who died from a snakebite, because she arrived too late to receive urgent medical attention.
Nwangene, 26, widely known as Nanyah, lost her life after being bitten by a snake at her home.
Her death triggered widespread outrage on social media and reignited concerns about the state of Nigeria’s emergency healthcare system.
Ahmed spoke on Saturday while appearing at the senate committee on health’s 2026 budget defence session.
According to the FMC chief, Nwangene was brought to the hospital more than two hours after the bite, a delay that allowed the venom to spread and cause severe systemic damage.
He refuted claims circulating online that the hospital failed to administer anti-venom upon her arrival.
“First, I want to extend my condolences to the family and friends of the deceased, but I would say this is a case of a cobra,” he said.
He explained that cobras are among the most poisonous snakes and that immediate medical intervention is critical after a bite.
“She presented to our hospital over two hours after she was bitten by that cobra, and by that time, she had already started manifesting with some systemic envenomation,” Ahmed said.
“And contrary to what we see in social media, that we didn’t have a snake venom, two doses were promptly given.”
He added that the first dose was administered immediately, followed by a second dose shortly after.
“So she had two doses of snake venom, but of course, the venom had already gone systemic, and we all know the cobra being highly poisonous,” he said.
Ahmed noted that anti-venom treatment is most effective when administered within 10 to 15 minutes of a bite, stressing that the late presentation significantly reduced its effectiveness.
He described the incident as a broader warning for hospitals that may not be sufficiently equipped to handle such emergencies.
However, he insisted that FMC Abuja was prepared, stating that anti-snake venom was readily available and that emergency services and staff were fully mobilised.
The CMD also supported calls to expand the centralised housemanship system to include state and private hospitals.
He said such an expansion would help resolve the shortage of housemanship placements in federal tertiary hospitals.
“Housemanship is a period where young graduates in medicine go and learn hands-on before they can now go for their NYSC,” he explained.
Ahmed noted that while most federal tertiary hospitals offer housemanship programmes, the available slots are limited due to capacity constraints.
“It’s not like a classroom where you come to me and say I’m giving you 200; it has to be based on the number of beds, specialists, and facilities available,” he said.
He argued that allowing state governments to participate in the centralised system would significantly ease the pressure.
“So I think when we have all this centralised, it’s going to help; what the registrar of the Medical and Dental Council presented yesterday will just be history,” he added.
FMC had earlier dismissed allegations that negligence contributed to the singer’s death.
Following Nwangene’s death on February 3, the senate urged the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and state governments to put in place coordinated emergency referral and response systems connecting public and private hospitals to ensure quicker access to life-saving care during medical emergencies.