Nigeria, Jan. 25 -- There comes a point in every public controversy when the real issue is no longer what was said, but what was not said. The ongoing online feud involving Wizkid, Seun Kuti, and the wider Fela fan base has long crossed that threshold. What began as a disagreement between two public figures degenerated into a toxic fandom war largely because one of Africa's most influential pop stars failed to do the one thing only he could do: call his fans to order.

This is not about musical taste. It is not about who has more global streams or who carries a heavier ideological legacy. It is about responsibility in the age of digital fandom, and how silence from the top can legitimize excesses at the bottom.

Wizkid today is not merely...