Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie says her relationship with Nigeria changed after the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu. In an interview with, she said, “My feelings toward Nigeria have changed” and “I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
She also said, “I mean, it is so surreal, all of this. I still can’t believe we’re talking about my son who died.” The loss, she said, left her feeling, “You’re going through something, but you also feel like you’re outside of it.”
Nkanu’s death in Nigeria
Nkanu died in December 2025 after a medical emergency at Euracare in Nigeria. Adichie said the child developed a fever and was placed on antibiotics by Ivara Esege, and that the family later took him to the hospital for further examination when his condition did not improve.
Adichie said Nkanu was sedated with propofol during an MRI examination and suffered cardiac arrest after the procedure, dying the following day. She recalled a doctor telling her, “Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.”
Coroner's inquest over Euracare
The circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death have become the subject of a coroner's inquest, and the process has reportedly involved delays and disagreements between the family and Euracare. Adichie publicly raised allegations of medical negligence in June, and Adichie and Ivara Esege have not instituted a lawsuit against Euracare.
Euracare has reportedly accused Adichie and Ivara Esege of destroying evidence by cremating their son’s remains. Adichie and Ivara Esege have called for improvements in Nigeria’s healthcare system instead of turning the case into a lawsuit.
Adichie and Ivara Esege
Before Nkanu’s death, Adichie said Nigeria remained deeply connected to her identity and writing, and that Nigeria gave her “everything” that enabled her to become a writer. After Nkanu’s death, she said her children could be the only reason she would consider returning to Nigeria, while her daughter still regards Nigeria as her “happy place.”
What happens next now sits with the coroner's inquest, which remains the forum handling the disputed account of Nkanu’s treatment and death. For Adichie, the immediate reality is simpler and harder: Nigeria once shaped her work, and she now says she does not want to go back.
