The family of acclaimed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie has confirmed the passing of one of her toddler twins.
Nkanu Nnamdi, the 21-month-old son of the novelist and her husband, Dr. Ivara Esege, died on Wednesday following a brief illness, according to an official statement released by the family.
Omawumi Ogbe, representing the family, issued a statement expressing their “devastation” at the loss, while also conveying gratitude for messages of support and requesting privacy and prayers during this difficult time.
Adichie, an award-winning author based in the United States, is renowned for her impactful works, including “Half of a Yellow Sun,” “Americanah,” and her influential 2012 TED Talk and essay, “We Should All Be Feminists,” which was notably sampled in Beyoncé’s 2013 hit song, “Flawless.”
A prominent voice in postcolonial feminist literature, Adichie’s writing often delves into themes of gender and immigration.
In 2015, she was recognized as one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people.
Adichie, 48, welcomed her first child, a daughter, in 2016. Her twin sons were born via surrogacy in 2024.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has extended his condolences, stating, “no grief is as devastating as losing a child.”
“I empathize with the family at this difficult time,” he shared in a statement on X.
In 2020, her 2006 novel “Half of a Yellow Sun” was honored as the best book to have won the Women’s Prize for Fiction in its 25-year history.
Speaking to the BBC last year around the release of her novel Dream Count, she stressed how she wanted her books to be read in Africa.
She also explained how the writer’s block she had experienced while pregnant with her first child was “terrifying”.
“It’s a really frightening place to be, because writing is the thing that gives me meaning,” the acclaimed author told Emma Barnett.
In 2022, in a BBC lecture on freedom of speech, the writer said young people were growing up “afraid to ask questions for fear of asking the wrong questions”.
Such a climate could lead to “the death of curiosity, the death of learning and the death of creativity”, she said during one of the BBC’s annual Reith lectures.
“No human endeavour requires freedom as much as creativity does,” she added.
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Ken Ofori-Atta’s lawyers say he is co-operating and is in the process of changing his US visa status.
Abubakar Malami was one of the most influential figures in the administration of former President Buhari.
Trackers in DR Congo’s Virunga National Park spotted the babies being hugged by their mother on Saturday.