Adichie made this known during a recent interview on Amazing Africans, a programme aired on Channels Television on Saturday.
“Life has become so hard in Nigeria, and I can see it,” she said.
According to her, individuals who previously managed to live with a degree of financial security are now struggling to survive, with some even resorting to begging.
“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,” Adichie remarked.
The award-winning writer described the escalating cost of living, especially food prices, as deeply alarming. She emphasised that such indicators should serve as key measures of a government’s performance.
“The level of suffering, how expensive food has become… I think the biggest political judgement one can make is about the lives of ordinary people.
“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 further warned that worsening economic conditions could push ordinarily law-abiding citizens into criminal activity, describing it as a dangerous trend for any 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 said.
During the interview, Adichie also reflected on her personal journey as a writer, revealing that she received more than two dozen rejections before her debut novel Purple Hibiscus was finally published.
“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.
Adichie, known globally for her literary prowess and activism, has long used her platform to speak on societal issues affecting ordinary Nigerians. Her latest comments are a poignant reminder of the growing hardship many face across the country.
