Private hospital owners and managers across Nigeria have appealed to the public to allow ongoing investigations into the death of Nkanu Nnamdi, the 21‑month‑old son of acclaimed writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, to proceed without prejudice or trial by social media.
Speaking under the umbrella of the Guild of Medical Directors, the association of private hospital owners urged Nigerians to resist the pull of outrage and speculation and instead allow regulators and investigative panels to do their work based on evidence and established procedures.
The death of the toddler at a Lagos hospital, and Adichie’s allegation of medical negligence, has triggered a wave of anger and grief nationwide. On social media, many users have demanded immediate sanctions against the hospital involved, with some calling for its closure and the prosecution of staff.
In a statement issued in response to the controversy, the National President of the Guild of Medical Directors, Dr Abiodun Kuti, said the country must balance its demand for justice with a commitment to due process.
“As a nation in mourning, we must hold two important principles at the same time: every patient and family deserves safety, dignity, transparency, and justice, while every healthcare professional and institution deserves due process, fairness, and protection from trial by social media,” Kuti said.
He stressed that accountability in cases of proven negligence must be “firm and enforceable,” arguing that public trust in the health system cannot be rebuilt without visible consequences where standards have been breached. At the same time, he warned that prejudging the case in the court of public opinion could damage both the integrity of the investigation and confidence in regulatory institutions.
The Guild’s intervention comes amid growing concern over patient safety in Nigeria’s health facilities. Reports of alleged medical negligence, some resulting in death or permanent disability, have become more frequent, particularly among patients who lack the resources or influence to seek redress.
Kuti noted that while the grief of the Adichie family has understandably drawn national attention, the issues raised by the case are not unique to one hospital or one family. He described Nigeria’s health sector as a single, fragile ecosystem facing shared structural problems across both public and private facilities.
According to him, these challenges include chronic underfunding, shortages of skilled health workers, uneven standards of care, weak emergency preparedness, and inconsistent regulation and enforcement. Any meaningful response, he argued, must therefore go beyond punishing one institution and instead focus on systemic reform.
The Guild president cautioned against using the tragedy to fuel a broader narrative of blanket condemnation of healthcare workers or to pit public against private hospitals, or Nigerian facilities against foreign ones.
“A rush to shut down facilities without robust investigative and corrective systems could reduce access to care, worsen medical tourism, and weaken the sector. Balance must not mean silence, but system-building,” he said.
He emphasised that where investigations clear a facility or practitioner of wrongdoing, authorities must communicate their findings clearly and transparently, using evidence to counter misinformation and prevent further erosion of trust in the health system.
While defending the principle of due process, Kuti expressed deep sympathy for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and her family, acknowledging the profound pain of losing a child and the public scrutiny that has followed.
He reaffirmed the Guild’s support for transparent, independent investigations guided strictly by facts, medical records, and expert review, rather than emotion or online pressure. Such an approach, he said, is essential not only for fairness to all parties but also for building a culture of learning from adverse events.
The Guild also called on key national stakeholders – including government, regulators, financiers, insurers, and healthcare providers – to treat the incident as a catalyst for broader reform rather than an isolated scandal.
“Nigeria is grieving, but this moment must also mark a turning point towards safer, more reliable, and more accountable healthcare for all,” Kuti said.
In Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory Chairman of the Guild of Medical Directors, Dr Iseko Iseko, echoed the call for systemic change. He argued that the country needs a more integrated approach to healthcare delivery, one that recognises public and private providers as parts of a single national system rather than competitors operating in silos.
“Nigeria urgently needs a National Healthcare Compact that treats public and private care as complementary parts of one system, aligned by enforceable standards, shared referral pathways, emergency protocols, and accountability mechanisms,” Iseko said.
Such a compact, he suggested, would help ensure that patients receive consistent levels of care regardless of where they seek treatment, while also clarifying responsibilities, strengthening oversight, and improving coordination in emergencies.
The Guild commended the Federal Government and relevant regulatory bodies for moving quickly to initiate formal reviews and investigations into the circumstances surrounding Nkanu’s death and the broader issue of patient safety.
In response to rising reports of alleged medical negligence across the country, the Federal Government has set up a National Task Force on Clinical Governance and Patient Safety. The task force is expected to examine how hospitals – both public and private – manage risk, prevent avoidable harm, and respond when things go wrong.
The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Ali Pate, said the task force is designed to prevent medical errors and improve patient safety by embedding quality and safety standards into everyday clinical practice.
He explained that the task force would serve as a strategic platform for integrating quality and patient safety into all aspects of health service delivery, from primary care clinics to tertiary hospitals.
Pate noted that the initiative aligns with global calls by international bodies such as the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and The Lancet Global Health Commission. These institutions have urged low- and middle-income countries to move beyond a narrow focus on access to services and instead prioritise high-quality, people-centred care as the foundation of universal health coverage.
For many Nigerians, the death of Chimamanda Adichie’s son has become a painful symbol of the risks patients face when health systems are overstretched, underregulated, or poorly supervised. For health professionals and policymakers, it has underscored the urgency of building stronger safeguards, clearer standards, and more responsive complaint and redress mechanisms.
Between the grief of a bereaved family and the anger of a watching public, the Guild of Medical Directors is urging the country to choose a path that combines empathy with evidence, and outrage with reform. Whether the ongoing investigations can deliver both justice in this case and lasting improvements in patient safety remains a test for Nigeria’s health system – and for the institutions charged with protecting those who depend on it.
