I almost committed suicide – Iyanya recounts bankruptcy

Nigerian singer, Iyanya Onoyom Mbuk, popularly known as Iyanya, has shared a distressing experience of facing financial ruin in 2020, to the extent that he contemplated ending his own life.

He revealed that during that time, he lost ownership of his residence and had to reside in a hotel. Unfortunately, he reached a point where he couldn’t manage the expenses for the hotel any longer.

Compounding his difficulties, he found himself entangled in a legal dispute with his former management company, Temple Management Company. They accused him of “appropriating” a car owned by the company.

Iyanya recounted these challenges while participating as a guest on the most recent episode of the Tea With Tay podcast, hosted by actor Temisan Emmanuel Ahwieh, also known as Taymesan.

He said, “I was in court for a long time, I didn’t do shows. I couldn’t do anything. You know, when you stopped doing show, you now have to fall back on your savings. But when you are popping, that inflow [of money] is different, the way you spend is different from the way you spend whatever you saved. So, I felt it.

“I got to a point where I was like, mehn, I need to start touring. That was a crazy period for me. Guess what, two days after my last court case, COVID-19 started. I was stalked. I was in a hotel. My house was gone. I was in the hotel for a very long time. It got to one point, I couldn’t pay for the hotel bills anymore.

“The owner of the hotel is such a great human being. I have never seen a such an amazing human being like that. He allowed me stay there. His name is Alaba. He allowed me stay there for over a year. COVID literally caught up with me there. So, imagine not doing shows. Not touring for over a year, no inflow, and you are in court for the whole year. And then finally, it’s looking like the court case is finishing, the lockdown.

“I was in that hotel throughout the lockdown. I almost committed suicide. The manager stopped me one time. All of that stuff. Madness, man.”