Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says she no longer wants to return to Nigeria after losing her 21-month-old son, Nkanu. She made the revelation during an interview with The New York Times. Adichie said the painful loss changed her feelings about Nigeria.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed. I do not want to go back to Nigeria,” she said.
Her statement shows how deeply the tragedy has affected her connection to home.
Nkanu, one of Adichie’s twin boys, died in December 2025 after a medical emergency at Euracare in Nigeria. Adichie said her son first developed a fever. Her husband, Ivara Esege, then gave him antibiotics. However, his condition did not improve.
The couple took him to the hospital for more tests. Doctors later sedated Nkanu with propofol for an MRI scan. He suffered cardiac arrest after the procedure and died the next day. Adichie recalled a doctor telling her,
“They gave him too much Propofol.”
Meanwhile, Adichie raised allegations of medical negligence against the hospital in June. The case has since moved to a coroner’s inquest. However, the proceedings have faced delays and disagreements. Euracare also accused Adichie and her husband of destroying evidence by cremating Nkanu’s remains. The couple have called for better healthcare in Nigeria. They have not filed a lawsuit against the hospital.
Still, her children could change Adichie’s mind about returning home. She said her daughter still sees Nigeria as her “happy place”. Before Nkanu’s death, Nigeria held a special place in Adichie’s life and writing. She called it the place that gave her “everything” she needed to become a writer. Now, that bond carries a painful memory.
“I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died. You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it,” she said.
