Precious Nwonu, Enugu
Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, has profoundly changed her feelings towards Nigeria, saying she no longer wants to return to the country.
Adichie made the disclosure in an interview with The New York Times, where she spoke about the loss of her son and its impact on her relationship with her home country.
Asked whether Nigeria still felt close to her heart, the author said her feelings had changed following the tragedy.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed,” she said.
“I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died in December 2025 following a medical emergency at Euracare, a private hospital in Nigeria.
According to the author, her son initially developed a fever and was placed on antibiotics by her husband, Ivara Esege. However, when his condition did not improve, the couple took him to the hospital for further medical assessment.
Adichie said Nkanu was subsequently sedated with propofol for an MRI examination, after which he suffered cardiac arrest and died the following day.
Recounting the moments surrounding the incident, she said a doctor later approached her in a visibly distressed state and made a statement about the amount of propofol administered to her son.
“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.
Adichie had earlier raised allegations of medical negligence concerning the treatment her son received at the hospital.
The circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death have also become the subject of a coroner’s inquest, with proceedings reportedly involving disagreements and delays between the family and the hospital.
The hospital has reportedly disputed aspects of the family’s account and accused Adichie and her husband of destroying evidence by cremating their son’s remains, a matter connected to the ongoing proceedings.
Adichie and her husband have called for improvements in Nigeria’s healthcare system but, according to the report, have not filed a lawsuit against the hospital.
Reflecting on the possibility of returning to Nigeria, Adichie said her children could be the only reason she might consider coming back.
She noted that her daughter still considered Nigeria her “happy place.”
Before Nkanu’s death, Adichie said Nigeria had remained deeply connected to her identity and literary career. She described the country as the place where she received “everything” that helped shape her into a writer.
However, she said the loss of her son had fundamentally altered that relationship.
“I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died,” she said.
“You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.”
We are still surviving and raising children here. It was your husband’s fault to keep and treat what he does not understand