Celebrated Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that she no longer wishes to return to Nigeria, saying the death of her 21-month-old son has fundamentally altered her relationship with her home country.
Speaking to The New York Times in an interview published in September 2026, Adichie was asked whether Nigeria still felt like a place close to her heart. Her response was direct: “My feelings toward Nigeria have changed. I do not want to go back to Nigeria.“
For decades, Nigeria was inseparable from Adichie’s identity and her writing. She has often described the country as the place that gave her “everything” she needed to become a writer.
Lagos, where she grew up, and her ancestral hometown of Abba in Anambra State feature prominently in her acclaimed novels Purple Hibiscus, Half of a Yellow Sun, and Americanah.
Before her son’s death, Adichie said Nigeria remained deeply intertwined with who she was and what she wrote. That connection, she explained, has now been irrevocably changed.
The Death of Nkanu
Nkanu Nnamdi Adichie-Esege, one of Adichie’s twin sons, died on 7 January 2026 at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos. He was 21 months old.
According to Adichie’s account, Nkanu developed a fever during a family visit to Nigeria from the United States for the holidays. He was initially placed on antibiotics by his father, Ivara Esege, a physician.
When the child’s condition did not improve, the couple took him to Euracare for further examination.
Adichie said Nkanu was sedated with propofol during an Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan. He subsequently suffered respiratory and cardiac arrest. A doctor reportedly told Adichie that the anaesthesiologist had administered “too much propofol.“
“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.
Allegations of Negligence and an Ongoing Inquest
Adichie publicly accused Euracare of medical negligence in January 2026. In June, she further accused the hospital of obstructing the coroner’s inquest into her son’s death.
The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) , a regulatory body, provisionally suspended the hospital’s medical director and two other doctors in March 2026 following a preliminary investigation.
An MDCN panel found a possible case of medical negligence against the hospital.
Euracare has denied the allegations, maintaining that its medical team acted according to accepted professional standards.
The hospital has also accused Adichie and her husband of destroying evidence by cremating their son’s remains before a post-mortem could be conducted.
The family’s lawyers have argued that the inquest can proceed using medical records and witness testimony.
The coroner’s inquest, which was due to begin in April 2026, has been marked by delays and legal disagreements. No court or coroner has yet made a final finding on the cause of Nkanu’s death.
Adichie and her husband have not filed a lawsuit against the hospital. Instead, they have called for systemic improvements to Nigeria’s healthcare system.
Despite her strong statement, Adichie acknowledged that her decision was not absolute.
She said her surviving children—including Nkanu's twin and her daughter—could be the only reason she would ever consider returning to Nigeria.
Her daughter, she noted, still regards Nigeria as her “happy place.“
“I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died,” Adichie said. “You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.“
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