The 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, have joined others in expressing condolences to renowned author Chimamanda Adichie and her husband, Ivara Esege, following the death of their 21-month-old son, Nkanu Nnamdi.
The toddler died on Wednesday after a brief illness, according to a family statement released on Thursday. The bereaved family, describing themselves as “devastated,” appealed for privacy as they mourn their loss.
President Bola Tinubu was among the earliest public figures to extend condolences, issuing a heartfelt message in which he expressed deep sympathy and prayed that God would grant the family strength and comfort.
Similarly, Atiku, in a message shared via X, offered prayers and conveyed his heartfelt sympathy, asking God to bless the family with strength, peace, and solace.
“My heart goes out to Chimamanda Adichie and her husband Dr Ivara Esege on the loss of their son. There can be no loss like the loss of a child,” he wrote.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the Esage and Adichie families and all of their friends. May God grant them strength, peace, and solace as they mourn this painful loss.”
Obi also shared a deeply personal message, disclosing that he had been aware of the child’s illness since January 2. He described the passing as “profoundly heartbreaking” and prayed for divine comfort for the grieving family.
“I have been following Nkanu’s illness since my beloved sister, Chimamanda, first informed me on January 2nd. During this difficult time, I felt a deep sense of empathy for her and her family,” Obi said.
“I shared in their anxiety, prayed earnestly, and hoped for his recovery. Therefore, the news I received yesterday morning was profoundly heartbreaking.
“May God grant them the strength, comfort, and grace to bear this sorrow, and may Nkanu’s saintly soul rest in perfect peace.”
Chimamanda Adichie, 48, married Esege, a Nigerian doctor, in 2009. Before Nkanu’s passing, the couple had three children — a daughter born in 2016 and twin boys born in 2024. In a 2025 interview with The Guardian, the author said she kept the birth of her twins private to “protect” them.