“Heartbreaking! Two Days Before My Daughter Died, She Told Me She Dreamed of Becoming a Singer” – Oloyede Shares Emotional Last Conversation

Forty-two-year-old artisan, Ademola Oloyede, has recounted the tragic circumstances that led to the death of his six-year-old daughter, Asabi, who drowned after floodwaters submerged their home in the Okeleye, Charity area of Lagos State.

Speaking with The PUNCH, Oloyede said he was away at work when the incident occurred. He explained that the rain started around 3:30 p.m. on June 28 and initially appeared to be an ordinary downpour before it intensified, causing severe flooding that collapsed the fence of the Christ Apostolic Church in Okeleye and sent water and debris into their compound. watch video here

He disclosed that his daughter was asleep in the house with his wife, son and a baby when the flood struck.

Oloyede, who works as a tiler, said he had visited home twice earlier that day before returning to his workshop. He explained that he was later called back urgently and arrived to find floodwaters chest-high, while neighbours told him the disaster had happened suddenly.

According to him, residents were trapped by the rising water, forcing one neighbour to rescue people through the roof of a nearby building. He added that the flood destroyed properties across the street and nearly claimed several other lives, including that of a woman who was swept against a wall by the powerful current.

Speaking about his late daughter, Oloyede said the loss remained too painful for him to fully describe. He explained that Asabi was his second child and was six years old at the time of her death.

According to him, she always ran to welcome him whenever he returned home from work and was an exceptionally brilliant pupil whose teachers could attest to her intelligence.

He added that although she was younger than her brother, she often taught him many things and consistently completed school tasks before him. Oloyede described her as smart, loving and intelligent, noting that he always prayed for all his children because he hoped they would grow up to achieve great things together.

Further talking, she said, “Two days before the incident, she came to me and said she wanted to be a singer. I told her that when I came back that night, she should sing for me. But I could not listen because my usual routine was that when I came back from work, I would take my bath and go to bed.

“She never got the chance to sing before she died. Whenever they woke up in the morning, I always prayed for my children that it would be well with them. Before I left the house that day, they had gone for Asalatu (Islamic prayers), and I bade them farewell.”

Oloyede said he deleted all the photographs of his late daughter because seeing them constantly brought him to tears. He explained that pictures of her with her siblings were especially painful to look at, adding that her death was sudden and heartbreaking, as she had neither been ill nor gone missing but tragically drowned.