LIB Special Report: 7 Years after his death, Is Dagrin a forgotten Hero? Written By: Adedayo Showemimo

Once you are dead, you are dead but the least we as humans can do is to remember our loved ones the best way we can. Unfortunately this can't be said for Legendary Nigerian rapper, Olaitan Oladapo Olaonipekun, aka ‘Dagrin’ who died on this day 7 years ago.

On Thursday, April 20, 2017 LIB paid a visit to the late rapper’s tombstone at Atan cemetery, Yaba ahead of his 7th year remembrance and despite the fact that he was buried in a private vault, his final resting place is too plain, too ordinary and nothing to write home about.
It still remains the same flat concrete slab with no decoration, marble head-sign, his name is almost cleaned off the poor slab with no sign to show how impactful his 26 years of existence was.

'Baba this guy has been forgotten here o' one of the mortuary attendants told us. He added that, 'nobody dey come check on am at all, even his family sef. Na one time him girlfriend for abroad dey but but she sef don stop. Then recently a rapper also came i think it was CDQ I'm not sure'.

Dagrin died at about 6pm on Thursday, April 22, 2010 at the Lagos State Teaching Hospital, LUTH and was buried on Friday, April 30, 2010 at the Ebony Millennium Private Vault, Atan Cemetery.

At the time of his death, his star power and celebrity status shook the industry to it's very roots, so much was his popularity that many websites who first reported his death crashed that night due to the number of visitors reading to confirm the story. Radio and TV stations played his songs endlessly, most of them will today remember him by playing his songs on air and forget him till the next anniversary.

Truth be told, no one is expected to put their life on hold just to honour Dagrin but the least we can do is to immortalize a man that paved way for so many. Just Imagine that there's no buzz for a Dagrin remembrance concert 7 ears after his death!!!

Like it or not, the Legend of Dagrin and his exploits can not be erased from the Nigerian Entertainment history. As humans, as practitioners in the industry, we can and we must do better to honour our own.