Nigeria, Jan. 31 -- The announcement that PayPal would finally allow Nigerians to receive international payments through a partnership with Paga has met, not celebration, but a furious and revealing debate. For many, this is not a lifeline but a provocation, a belated attempt to profit from a market forced to mature without it. This reaction is not about technology. It is a stark examination of two things: Whether Nigerians possess a collective memory; and whether we have the spine to act on it.

The context is crucial. For nearly two decades, PayPal operated a policy of exclusion against Nigeria. Citing fraud concerns, it allowed payments to leave the country but blocked the vital function of receiving money. This was not an oversight. I...