Chimamanda Adichie says she does not want returning to Nigeria after son’s death

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Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has said she no longer feels the same way about Nigeria following the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu.

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Adichie, in an interview with The New York Times sighted by PUNCH Online on Sunday, said the loss of her son had changed her feelings towards her home country.

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Asked whether Nigeria still felt like somewhere close to her heart, the author gave a blunt response.

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“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed,” she said.

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“I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”

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Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin boys, died in December 2025 following a medical emergency at Euracare in Nigeria.

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According to Adichie, the child initially developed a fever and was placed on antibiotics by her husband, Ivara Esege.

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When his condition failed to improve, the couple took him to the hospital for further examination.

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She said Nkanu was later sedated with propofol during an MRI examination, after which he suffered cardiac arrest and died the following day.

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Recalling the incident, Adichie said a doctor approached her in a state of panic after the procedure.

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“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.

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Adichie had in June publicly raised allegations of medical negligence concerning the treatment her son received at the hospital.

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The circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death have since become the subject of a coroner’s inquest, with the proceedings reportedly marked by delays and disagreements between the family and the hospital.

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Euracare has reportedly accused Adichie and her husband of destroying evidence by cremating their son’s remains, an allegation connected to the ongoing proceedings.

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Adichie and her husband have called for improvements in Nigeria’s healthcare system but have not instituted a lawsuit against the hospital, according to the report.

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Speaking about the possibility of returning to Nigeria, Adichie said her children could be the only reason she would consider doing so.

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She said her daughter still regarded Nigeria as her “happy place”.

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Before her son’s death, Adichie said Nigeria remained deeply connected to her identity and writing, describing it as the place where she received “everything” that enabled her to become a writer.

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However, the pain of losing her son has altered that connection.

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“I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died,” she said.

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“You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.”

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