Reflection & Call to Action — The Banishment SagaBy Charles O CHUKWUBIKE

Reflection & Call to Action — The Banishment Saga: How We Got Here & The Way Forward

 WHY & HOW WE GOT HERE

The recent incident involving the Agbada Nenwe minor — where both she and her stepfather were wrongly banished by an ad-hoc group acting without proper authority — has laid bare deep cracks in our community. We are where we are because several critical gaps existed, which came together in a dangerous moment:

  The Root Causes

- Vacuum in community leadership — When clear, recognised authority is absent, self-appointed groups rush in to fill the space, often with poor judgment and no accountability.

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- Weak stewardship of our culture & heritage — Those acting in the name of tradition often showed the least understanding of what our customs truly prescribe. Banishment was never meant to be a quick, emotional decision taken by a crowd.

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- Breakdown of respectful guidance — Valued voices and elders are too often dismissed rather than heeded, leaving younger generations without reliable anchors in moments of crisis.

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- Unregulated social media usage — Information spread faster than truth; emotions outpaced facts; privacy was breached; and narratives hardened before anyone had the full picture.

These four gaps became the gunpowder. One tragic incident was the spark — and it exploded in all our faces.

WHERE WE WENT WRONG — AND HOW WE COULD HAVE DONE BETTER

 

What Happened  What Should Have Happened 

A self-appointed group took matters into their own  .

The matter should have been reported immediately to the police — rape is a criminal offence, not a community one 

Banishment pronounced without due process or consultation with traditional authorities

 Our traditional institutions should have been properly convened; legal process respected; family safeguarded 

The victim was punished alongside the accused

 The child should have been protected, not further shamed or displaced 

Images shared publicly; victim’s identity exposed unnecessarily

 Her face should have been fully blurred; her privacy protected — always 

Social media amplified raw emotion instead of verified information.

 Media outlets should have paused, verified, consulted, and reported responsibly 

 

A SPECIAL MESSAGE TO OUR CONTENT CREATORS & MEDIA

"Social media is like leaving a sharp knife within reach of children, angry people, and those who do not know how to handle it. When they grab it, they often harm themselves first before realising what they hold."

- Protect the vulnerable first. Blur the faces of victims — always — not the bystanders around them.

- Pause before posting. A story that is true but harmful if released too early is still harmful.

- Respect dignity over speed. Getting it right matters more than getting it first.

- Educate yourselves. There are free online courses in journalism ethics, child protection, and responsible media — please take advantage of them.

I acknowledge and commend Nenwe TV and O'Nation, among others, who have reflected, corrected course, and shown willingness to do better. That humility is the beginning of improvement. To those  2 content creators still unrepentant: ask yourselves — are we building our community, or tearing it down under the guise of reporting it?

THE WAY FORWARD — CALL TO ACTION

We are all partly responsible. But blame serves no purpose now — what matters is that we return to the drawing table together:

 

1. Strengthen our traditional structures — so there is no vacuum for renegades to fill.

2. Document and teach our customs clearly — so everyone knows what our traditions actually say, and who speaks for Nenwe.

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3. Build bridges between generations — so the wisdom of our elders meets the energy of our youth with respect on both sides.

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4. Establish community media guidelines — so anyone reporting on our people knows the rules of engagement: protect the vulnerable, verify before publishing, and consult when unsure.

Let this painful moment not be in vain. Let it be the turning point where we stop reacting in chaos and start acting with wisdom.

"Don't set the house on fire just to kill a rat inside it. Let us be wiser than that." — African Proverb

Let us come together, reason together, and build a Nenwe where justice is done properly, our culture is honoured truly, and our people — especially the most vulnerable — are protected always.

— Charles O. Chukwubike

Moderator, Nenwe Online Platforms

MEDIA MANAGEMENT & DANGERS ON OUR COMMON CULTURAL HERITAGE: by Charles O Chukwubike

RESEARCH, CONSERVATION, AND PRESENTATION OF OUR TRADITION & CULTURAL HERITAGE

A call to common sense and moderation:

There has been a growing trend where many from Nenwe are sharing poorly researched historical accounts and cultural traditions across social media and in published works. This is a matter that calls for reflection, balance, and care.

I have discussed these concerns with others before—and some who raised similar points were wrongly accused of acting out of jealousy ( ndi Avia ha amahụ ala azụhụ)  or trying to hold others back. Let me be clear: I do not mind such labels, so long as they do not reflect my true character. My only motive is to serve our people and our heritage with integrity.

Nenwe—its history, stories, traditions, and culture—belongs to no single person, group, or institution. It is the shared heritage of all. But this freedom to engage must never become an excuse to distort, divide, degrade, or destroy what we hold in common.

As things stand, Nenwe Online University is the only formal, organized body dedicated to researching and correcting misrepresentations of our history and culture. This does not mean others cannot contribute; many individuals have invested time, resources, thought, and effort into preserving and sharing our heritage, and their work is worthy of recognition. What is happening now, however, is truly regrettable.

Since Facebook introduced monetization for Nigerian accounts, practically everyone has suddenly become a historian, linguist, sage, cultural authority, entertainer, or expert—often presenting half‑truths, distortions, and entirely invented stories simply to gain views and earn income, with no regard for the damage done to our heritage. This is unpatriotic and wrong.

No one is forbidden from offering their own perspective or interpretation. But if something is meant as entertainment, fiction, or comedy—let it be clearly marked as such. We must not raise a generation taught to believe fantasies are facts. For example we  have countless books and accounts of Nigerian and Biafran history; and we read and cherish all that have facts   we challenge some with counter stories but  we do not need to replace truth with invention and is the case with these new young social media  people.

We have seen this before with Nollywood, where Igbo history was often distorted: some presented imaginations as facts, or borrowed practices from other cultures and passed them off as Igbo. For example, ogwu ego involving human elements in money rituals —known historically as a practice from elsewhere like the Western Nigeria in the 60s —has been widely presented as traditional Igbo custom or ways of life , to the point many now believe it has always been part of our way of life and that it truly works. Through such portrayals, Igbo people have been presented to the world as deeply fetishistic, feudal, and defined by kings and queens—elements that existed in some little measure but were far from universal in the Igbo world

We have a landmark work: History of Nenwe by Senator Chief M. B. Chukwubike. It stands as one of the most thorough studies of our history. Where facts may be debated, they should be challenged openly and academically—with evidence and respect. That is how knowledge advances.

I ask simply: why the rush to speak with authority on what you do not know? Why present others’ research and ideas as your own? Some have taken work still in progress from this Institute, used AI tools to turn it into videos, posts, or books, and published it before the original research was complete. Unfinished work often carries markers—trails left by the author to guide further inquiry and verify sources. These are how I identify when work has been taken prematurely. To circulate research before it is finalised risks spreading error and misleading many.

Nenwe Online University firmly condemns this unscholarly approach and the misinformation it creates. We warmly invite anyone who wishes to collaborate, contribute, or join our research efforts to work with us openly and honestly.

Thank you.

Charles O. Chukwubike

Charlie.mbc@gmail.com

For

NENWE ONLINE UNIVERSITY

nenweonlineuni@gmail.com 

1st October 2026