Nigeria, May 15 -- Each morning, the queue at Calais grows longer: rows of nylon tents, guarded passports, and brittle hopes. The Nigerian impulse to japa has become a revolving door, swinging between Lagos and London - pushed by hardship at home and slammed shut by political panic abroad. Yet as Brexit-era Britain and a jittery France raise fresh barriers, escape proves a mirage: the frying pan is already in the fire.

Racism, regrettably, exists everywhere - including here. Compared with France, I have found the UK generally more liberal, tolerant, and welcoming. Yet, since Brexit, it has lurched from one crisis to the next: chronic housing shortages, a soaring cost of living, and now a country that feels saturated and strained. The tru...