Acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that the devastating loss of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, has fundamentally and perhaps irreversibly altered her relationship with her home country, stating plainly that she no longer wishes to return to Nigeria.
In a deeply personal interview with The New York Times, Adichie spoke out about the agonizing sequence of events that unfolded in Lagos in December 2025. After Nkanu developed a fever that failed to respond to initial treatment, the family took him to Euracare Multi-Specialist Hospital for pre-travel assessments ahead of a planned medical evacuation to the United States. During an MRI procedure, the toddler was sedated with propofol, suffered cardiac arrest, and tragically passed away within 24 hours.
Recalling the immediate aftermath of the procedure, Adichie shared a haunting encounter with a doctor who approached her with the stark admission: “Well, look, they gave him too much Propofol.”
- The Search for Accountability: While Nigeria’s Medical and Dental Council launched an inquiry—suspending physicians linked to the case—and a coroner’s inquest was opened, the family has chosen not to file a civil lawsuit, demanding systemic healthcare accountability instead.
- The Weight of Grief: Adichie described the surreal, persistent nature of her mourning at her home in Maryland, where Nkanu’s highchair and clothes remain untouched as she navigates the quiet shock of single-twin parenthood.
- A Fractured Bond: Asked whether Nigeria still feels like a place close to her heart, the celebrated writer offered a blunt response: “My feelings toward Nigeria have changed. I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”
Though she acknowledged that her surviving children’s lingering fondness for the country might eventually draw her back, the painful admission stands as a heavy critique of institutional failure and patient safety gaps in Nigeria’s medical landscape.
