The last time I wrote about this tragedy, which I now call Tinubu’s Terrible Tribalism, I had asked: Is Tinubu settling scores? Because the president’s naked embrace of Yorubacentricism after a lifetime of railing with his kinsmen against Hausa-Fulani hegemony could only have been inspired by vengeance. But such undisguised and unbridled vengeance in his first term against the North, whose votes he must secure for re-election, would be foolhardiness. The focus on the North isn’t to understate the treachery other zones feel but to emphasise the political irrationality and moral hypocrisy of Tinubu’s tribalism. Tinubu might be arrogant and…

You probably call it something else, but I call it the Loyalty Line: that routine line-up of top government—mostly security-related—officials in front of the presidential jet when a Nigerian leader is about to travel. You’ve seen it over and over: officials of the National Security Council and the National Defence Council standing against the backdrop of the aircraft. In case you didn’t know, the NSC advises the President on security matters, including issues relating to organizations or agencies responsible for national security. Similarly, the NDC advises the President on matters concerning the defence of the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.…