The Nigerian entertainment industry mourns the passing of a true maestro, Akinloye Tofowomo, popularly known as Akiin Shuga, the revered leader of the iconic Shuga Band.
Akiin Shuga, who died on the 30th of October, 2025, in New Brunswick, Canada, at the age of 50, was more than just a musician; he was an institution —a custodian of rhythm and a testament to the power of resilience.
Akiin Shuga’s legacy is inextricably linked to the Shuga Band, which he built into Nigeria’s most prestigious live band. For over three decades, the band has defined the high-end event scene, known for its masterful performances and seamless blending of genres.
The secret to their enduring success, as he once shared in a 2018 interview with Premium Times, was a combination of “destiny, timing, and divine source,” driven by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a deep understanding of their audience.
“There is no big secret behind my long staying power. I think mine has to do with destiny, time and source. I am destined to be where I am or do what I am doing because of how God has orchestrated it. The time came, and then the source. God provided all the right people as tools along my path; of course we know God is not going to come down to make it happen for me. So, that’s been the basic secret. I rose through the ashes,” he said in 2018.
While many people who become hugely successful from humble beginnings claim they rose from the ashes, Akiin Shuga’s challenges before stardom are well-documented. He contracted polio at the age of five, a condition that shaped much of his personal and professional journey. It also inspired the establishment of Shuga Limb Foundation Empowerment.
“The story was that I woke up and lost the use of two legs, I had a fever, you know, all kinds of things, but later, I was able to understand that the vaccine has a short life span in terms of storage, so probably it wasn’t well stored. But it’s just how God wanted it to be. That was the code that was given to me, my own code, what God coded for me is what played out, yes!“
Yet, he pursued music as a career because of his love for the craft and the joy that music brings to people. “My love for music, to create joy, to make people happy, to create memories, I just love it. It’s a feeling I can’t explain.” As an artiste with special needs, he did not deter from pursuing his goal even if he did not know he could make money from it until much later.
If you are challenged and the product is not good, they are two different things. So it wasn’t about the challenge; people are not looking at the leg and listening to the vocals. It’s after listening to the vocals or the song, and they will be like… “ooh! and he is physically challenged”.
His commitment to his craft was formalised through his studies in Music Business at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. This blend of formal training and raw talent allowed him to redefine what it meant to lead a band with grace, mastery, and purpose.
At a time when live music was ‘uncool,’ Akiin Shuga and the Shuga band changed the game. His highly sought-after live band was known to perform at high-profile events in Nigeria and abroad. Yet, he refused to be categorised as an innovator or as the Numero Uno of the craft.
“Live music culture has always been there, look at the time of Bobby Benson, even during the pre and post-war with the highlife renaissance. So live music has always been there, it’s just that there will always be changes in the trends and the kind of music that comes,” he said in 2018.
His contributions were recognised with several accolades, including the City People Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017 and the Beatz Award in 2017. His standing in the industry was further cemented by his participation in major industry conversations, including the NECLive 5 line-up in 2017, where he shared the stage with heavyweights like Ali Baba and K1 De Ultimate. In 2019, he was sworn in as President of the Association of Music Band Owners of Nigeria (AMBON),
Beyond the stage, Akiin Shuga’s life was a powerful story of triumph over adversity. This Shuga Limb Foundation was dedicated to supporting individuals living with the disease, turning his personal struggle into a source of hope and empowerment for countless others. Yet, he claimed he had barely scratched the surface with his ambitions for the foundation.
I think a lot still needs to be done, hopefully with funding. Basically, it is more about funding and also getting the people to understand that they can be anything they want to be. Imagine giving someone a camera, and when my team were monitoring, he had exchanged it for a ‘Keke Marwa!’ When he can use the camera to make so much and make a new life. I haven’t achieved what I set out to achieve with the foundation.
His notable song, “I Can Walk,” produced by Cobhams Asuquo, was dedicated to polio survivors and people with physical challenges. Other tracks like “My Lady,” and “Married Today,” reflect the joy and passion he brought to his music.
The family’s statement announcing his demise described him as a “Grandmaster” and a “true king in his art,” whose legacy will continue to live on through the Shuga Band and Shuga Entertainment.
Akiin Shuga’s journey—from overcoming a debilitating disease to becoming a defining figure in Nigerian live music—serves as a profound inspiration. He is survived by his loving wife, children, siblings, and mother.
May his noble soul find eternal rest.
