Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is demanding answers after the death of her 21-month-old son at a Lagos hospital. The celebrated Nigerian author has gone public with her grief and her frustration, accusing the hospital of actively working to block a formal inquest into the circumstances surrounding his passing.
Adichie says the hospital is stalling the review process, a claim that has added a painful layer of injustice to an already devastating loss. She has been vocal about her belief that the circumstances of her son's death deserve proper scrutiny, and that efforts to prevent that scrutiny are unacceptable.
The case has drawn widespread attention, partly because of who Adichie is, but more urgently because of what it raises about accountability in Nigeria's private healthcare system. For many families who have lost loved ones in similar circumstances and never had the platform to speak up, her willingness to push back publicly means something.
How the hospital responds, and whether an inquest ultimately moves forward, is the question everyone is watching now.
Originally published by BBC Africa.