Adekunle Gold Faces Sickle Cell Crisis on Flight to Tanzania

Nigerian singer Adekunle Gold recounted a frightening sickle cell crisis that occurred while he was traveling to Tanzania, which almost necessitated an emergency landing. In an interview with BBC Extra, he described how he developed severe stomach cramps during a layover in Ethiopia.

Initially attributing the pain to food consumed at the airport, the situation escalated, leaving him unable to relieve himself and confused about his condition. The flight crew considered landing the plane due to his deteriorating state.

Upon landing in Ethiopia, he was unable to walk and required a wheelchair to reach the hospital, where a doctor diagnosed him with a sickle cell crisis. Adekunle Gold expressed surprise at the manifestation of his crisis through stomach pain, as he typically associates such episodes with joint pain.

He was advised to drink plenty of water while traveling, a precaution he had neglected, which contributed to his low oxygen levels.