"Please come." Two words, sent as a final desperate text message, have sparked a national outrage in Nigeria. They were the last cry for help from Ifunanya Nwangene, a 26-year-old rising star and former finalist on The Voice Nigeria, before she succumbed to a snakebite in the nation’s capital.

Nwangene, known to her fans as "Nanyah," died in an Abuja hospital not because the bite was instantly fatal, but because the system failed her. She was bitten by a cobra while asleep in her apartment. Despite reaching a medical facility, she died hours later while her friend was forced to run to a pharmacy to buy antivenom that the hospital did not have in stock.

A Preventable Tragedy

The death of such a high-profile figure has illuminated a crisis that usually plays out in the shadows of rural villages. Snakebites kill up to 138,000 people globally each year, but Nwangene’s death in the heart of Abuja—a city of wealth and power—shatters the illusion that this is a "poor man's disease."

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists antivenom as an essential medicine. Yet, in Nigeria, it remains scarce, expensive, and often counterfeit. "She was on the cusp of sharing her incredible talent with the world," her choir wrote in a heartbreaking tribute. Instead, she became a statistic in a healthcare system that could not treat a basic emergency.

The Venomous Reality

The tragedy has sparked a fierce debate about the funding of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs). Campaigners argue that the lack of investment is "precarious," with the UN's goal of halving snakebite deaths by 2030 now looking like a pipe dream.

• The Culprit: Two snakes were found in Nwangene’s apartment, including a medium-sized cobra. Urban encroachment into wild habitats is bringing these predators into bedrooms.
• The Gap: Effective antivenoms exist, but they must be administered swiftly. The delay in Nwangene’s case—caused by the hospital's lack of supply—was the difference between life and death.

A Song Unsung

Nwangene was preparing for her first solo concert. Now, her family prepares for her funeral. Her death is a damning indictment of a state where infrastructure and essential services are crumbling. For the millions of Nigerians who listened to her voice, the silence she leaves behind is deafening. It is the sound of a preventable death, echoing in a hospital corridor where the medicine never arrived.