Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that she no longer felt the same way about Nigeria following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu.
Adichie said the death of her son had changed her perception of her home country in an interview with The New York Times, spotted on Sunday.
The novelist made the remarks while responding to a question about whether Nigeria still felt like a place close to her heart.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed,” she said.
“I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
Recall that, One of Adichie’s twin sons, Nkanu, passed away in December 2025 following a medical emergency at Euracare in Nigeria.
Chimamanda Adichie stated that her husband, Ivara Esege, initially prescribed antibiotics when the infant developed a fever.
When the child’s condition failed to improve, the couple brought him to the hospital for further diagnostic testing.
According to her account, Nkanu suffered cardiac arrest and died the following day after receiving propofol during an MRI scan.
Recalling the incident, Adichie noted that a physician approached her in a state of panic following the procedure.
“He was very calm and he said to me, ‘Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.’ Those were his exact words, which I will never forget until the day I die,” she recalled.
Backstory…
In June, Adichie publicly alleged medical negligence regarding her son’s care at the hospital.
A coroner’s inquest was subsequently initiated to investigate the circumstances of Nkanu’s death, with proceedings marked by delays and contention between the family and hospital representatives.
During the ongoing inquest, Euracare reportedly accused Adichie and her husband of spoliation of evidence for cremating their son’s remains.
While advocating for systemic reforms within Nigeria’s healthcare sector, Adichie and her husband have reportedly chosen not to file a civil lawsuit against the facility.
Prior to her son’s passing, Adichie stated that Nigeria was deeply tied to her identity and literary work, describing the country as the foundation that provided her with the essential experiences necessary to pursue her writing career.
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