For many years Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has described Nigeria as the place that gave her “everything” she needed to become a writer. Now, she says she doesn’t “want to go back to Nigeria.”
The multiple award-winning author, who has always returned home to Nigeria with her family for Christmas, Easter, and long summers, says her relationship with the country has fundamentally changed.
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Why Chimamanda Doesn’t Want to Go Back to Nigeria
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Adichie spoke with raw honesty about the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi, one of twin boys born to her and her husband, Dr Ivara Esege.
The child died in January 2026 following a medical emergency at Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital in Lagos.
The family had been in Nigeria for the holidays when Nkanu developed a fever that progressed into an infection. After initial treatment, he was taken to Euracare for diagnostic procedures, including an MRI, ahead of a planned medical evacuation to Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States.
Adichie has said the child was sedated with propofol. A doctor later told her, in words she has said she will never forget: “They gave him too much propofol.” Nkanu suffered cardiac arrest and died the following day.
She has publicly alleged medical negligence in the administration of the sedative and the subsequent monitoring of her son. The hospital has contested aspects of the account.
A coroner’s inquest, investigations by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, and ongoing disputes over medical records and the cause of death listed on the death certificate have also followed.
When asked whether Nigeria still felt close to her heart, Adichie said:
“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed. I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
Chimamanda Might Return Because of Her Daughter
Chimamanda noted that she might consider returning because of her other children, particularly her daughter, who still calls Nigeria her “happy place.”
Six months after the loss, speaking from her home in Maryland, she described the surreal nature of grief:
“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.”
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