After Son’s Death, Chimamanda Says Nigeria No Longer Feels Like Home
Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, has changed the way she feels about Nigeria.
Speaking in an interview with The New York Times on Sunday, Adichie said she no longer felt the same emotional connection to the country she once considered central to her identity and writing.
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed. I do not want to go back to Nigeria,” she said.
Nkanu, one of her twin sons, died in December 2025 after developing a fever and later suffering cardiac arrest following sedation with propofol during an MRI examination at Euracare in Nigeria.
Adichie recalled that a doctor told her after the procedure that her son had been given too much propofol, a statement she said has remained with her.
The author had publicly raised allegations of medical negligence over her son’s treatment in June. The circumstances surrounding his death are now being examined by a coroner’s inquest amid disagreements between the family and the hospital.
Euracare has reportedly accused Adichie and her husband, Ivara Esege, of destroying evidence by cremating their son’s remains, while the couple has called for improvements in Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Despite her changed feelings, Adichie said her children could influence any decision to return to Nigeria, noting that her daughter still considers the country her “happy place.”
She described the loss of Nkanu as surreal, saying she still struggles to believe she is discussing the death of her son.
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