Why I Don’t Want To Return To Nigeria – Chimamanda

Award-winning Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has revealed that the death of her 21-month-old son, Nkanu, has profoundly changed her relationship with Nigeria.

In an interview with The New York Times, Adichie said the country no longer holds the same emotional significance for her following the death of her son in December 2025.

Asked whether Nigeria still felt like a place close to her heart, the author gave a direct response.

“My feelings toward Nigeria have changed,” she said.

“I do not want to go back to Nigeria.”

Nkanu, one of the twins she had with her husband, Ivara Esege, died after a medical emergency at Euracare in Nigeria.