News NileAugust 4, 2025

Life’s so hard in Nigeria, says author Chimamanda Adichie

Renowned Nigerian author, Chimamanda Adichie, has expressed concern over the worsening economic situation in the country, saying many Nigerians who once belonged to the middle class have now been pushed into poverty.

Adichie stated this during an interview on Amazing Africans, a programme on Channels Television on Saturday.

“Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and I can see it.

“For example, people who were formerly kind of securely middle class, not that life was rosy for them, but they got by—are now people who beg and are in need. That worries me greatly,” she said.

The award-winning writer said the rising cost of living, especially food prices, was alarming and should be a key indicator of a government’s performance.

“The level of suffering, how expensive food has become… I think the biggest political judgment one can make is about the lives of ordinary people.

“People talk about the stock market. Personally, I don’t really care about those sorts of things. What I care about is: that person earning minimum wage, how is that person getting on in this economy? It’s the suffering that worries me the most. And it’s terrible,” she added.

Adichie warned that economic hardship could push ordinarily law-abiding citizens into crime, describing it as a dangerous sign for society.

“It’s not to excuse crime, but I think when life gets very hard, even people who before would not have considered certain things suddenly are willing to, and that’s dangerous to society,” she warned.

She also spoke about her writing journey, recalling how she received over two dozen rejections for her debut novel, Purple Hibiscus, but never gave up.

“The thought of quitting writing is never an option for me because writing is my vocation. Writing is really what I believe I am here to do; it’s a bit spiritual.

“I feel that is a gift that I am given, and so even if I hadn’t been published, I would still be writing today. So, the idea of giving up writing was never an option. But it (the rejection) was demoralising,” she said.