Nigeria, Oct. 23 -- It is no longer news that Nigeria's fragile unity is being eroded by the rising tide of tribalism. What was once whispered behind closed doors has now become an open conversation. Across the country, particularly in Lagos, on the streets, in markets, workplaces, schools, religious gatherings, and most alarmingly, on social media, tribal sentiment has become the default lens through which many Nigerians now view national issues.

This growing divide has become so deep and normalized that both the educated and uneducated are entangled in it. The once-held belief that tribalism was the exclusive preserve of the unexposed has been proven wrong. Today, professors and artisans, technocrats and traders, social media influence...