Nigeria, March 19 -- It is a strange thing to wake up in a country and feel like everyone in charge has travelled.

Not metaphorically. Physically.

You scan the news and realise that a good number of the people who are supposed to be holding the centre together are somewhere else entirely, dressed for ceremony, shaking hands, attending a royal visit at Buckingham Palace under the watch of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

And you begin to ask a simple question, almost casually at first. Who exactly is left in town?

Because this is not just about one trip. Leaders travel. Diplomacy is part of the job. No one is arguing that Nigeria should retreat into itself.

But there are moments when presence becomes more than protocol. Moments when where you are ...