"The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it."

FRACTURED FAMILY As the family got bogged down by the quagmire that has the potential and the capacity to continue to shred it apart to smithereens for generations to come, friends, well-wishers, fiends and the quarreling parties alike turned blind eye to  this malady. Their negligence became a tinder igniting the smoldering smoke of discord  into a consuming flame of strife , hostility and disunity among siblings. What was more, their unwillingness, hubris,  accusations and recriminations to navigate out of this mire festered and seemed intractable. Every form of social intercourse among siblings ground to a halt, with hurtful and malicious undercurrents. Separate existence became a preference,which sacrificed communal existence on the altar of cloistered living with an eerie dash. The centerpiece of this saga was the matriarch. The situation insidiously eroded her sinew and brawniness, but she displayed exceptional strength,resilience and determination to...

FRACTURED FAMILY                            " REMEMBRANCE" November 19th and 23rd, 2025, mark the first anniversary of the passing of our beloved and benevolent matriarch, Dame Helen Nwauru Ijebuonwu, and patriarch, Chiabuotu Robinson Ijebuonwu,aka Bolingo respectively. In this remembrance, I reflect on their lives, legacies, and the impact they had on me and our family. May their memories continue to inspire and guide us. Remembrance is synonymous with recollection, interconnected with reminiscence and memorial. It is all about having the imageries of the past which may be a mixture of good and bad, bittersweet, harrowing and distressing experiences which directly or indirectly influence and impact our lives in no small measure. In fact, it is a flight or travel into time capsule: a trip into history to throw up the past in quest of truth, knowledge and information. In sum, it is a flashback i...

FRACTURED FAMILY                          "MAN'S FOLLY" Following the matriarch's escape from the house of unimaginable terror was a drastic decision by her to be laid in state in her living room and subsequently buried at her own compound when she died. But this wish of hers was not honored by two children of hers;Chief Orisa and Lady Ebere. Furthermore, she made it crystal clear to us, that she would never go back to that house she escaped from. For her that house was a symbol of terror,  fright,  sadness,  tears and pain. But at her demise, her two children did not uphold or honor her wish. Rather they laid her to rest at that compound which she vowed never to return to. Is this an accident of history or an irony of reality?  I refer to this as a flagrant disrespect and disdain of the matriarch's dignity and honor. This highlights the depth of man's folly. Moreover, my mom's earnest desire an...

FRACTURED FAMILY     "SACRIFICIAL LAMB & FALSEHOOD"         " Esau & Jacob, or Cain & Abel" "Discretion is the better part of valor." "Silence is golden, but speech is silver." The goldenness of silence is today the silvery of speech. Silence and discretion do not equate to cowardice or trepidation. I am the sacrificial lamb of the family in various ramifications. I did not choose this role; it was divinely ordained. "The forces that have been shaping my life have been beyond my mortal control." An avalanche of falsehood from the black sheep of the family, aka Ikechi, has been circulating for years, dragging my hard-earned reputation through the mud to an unbearable and unacceptable extent. As a result, my narrative, which is fact-based, will contrast with his anecdotal account. Ikechi is my elder brother. "We are two different nations from the same womb." We are comparable to the biblical stories of Esau and Ja...

                   FRACTURED FAMILY My relationship with Uncle Orisa was so cordial so much so that my loyalty to him was compared by some family members as a worship to a deity. To be fair to their perceptions and observations, they were right because both my service and fidelity to him could only be comparable to reverence to a god. I defended his interests and was more than ever willing to sacrifice my life to ensure his safety. His welfare and happiness were my priority. It was Afaraukwu-wide and beyond that our bonds were so strong, enduring and unbreakable. But the recent family dynamics negatively impacted the cordiality of our bonds. To be precise, brief, and direct to the point, he told me and my siblings to bury our dead  father who is his elder brother.  This is a fact he kept denying even with established and undisputable evidence from impeccable sources.   This is the bone of contention betwe...

            " MINUTES OF SILENCE" 19th November, 2024, was a day marked by profound grief and sorrow. On this day and date, death mercilessly snatched the life of our matriarch, Dame Helen Nwauru Ijebuonwu of blessed memory. Today, 19th November, 2025, marks a year since her passing, and it brings back deep pains, grief, and the wrench of losing a loved one. May we be strengthened, consoled, and find solace in your legacies: the unconditional love you gave, the spirit of strength and resilience you taught, and the determination and resourcefulness you imparted. You are forever tattooed on our hearts as we celebrate and cerebrate the first anniversary of your passing, reflecting on the lessons you taught and the path forward. May the lacuna hewn by your exit usher in sustainable peace through truth, true confessions, mutual forgiveness, and gradual healing. Minutes of silence in honor of the dead! Mama, may your gentl...

ACCOUNTABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY The family dynamics engendered self-centeredness which gave rise to narcissism and ego-centrism. The toxic dynamics preceding the demise of our loved ones suppressed and suffocated accountability and responsibility. Moreover, those who should have held others accountable for their heinous maltreatments meted out to their dead loved ones and make them  assume responsibilty for their inhuman actions looked away. For instance, had the relationship between Uncle Orisa and his elder brother- Patriarch Chiabuotu- not  been strained  beyond reconciliation prior to  his death, Chief Orisa would have subjected Ikechi  to some critical questions regarding the roles he played toward his late father's well-being. The same was the case with lady Ebby. At my late mother's kitchen, history sadly repeated itself. Ikechi was rewarded instead of being censured by them as result of deep-rooted hatred and division which engulfed the ...