Nigeria, Aug. 6 -- In times of hardship, it is easy to surrender to despair. But to call Nigeria a failed state is not only inaccurate, it is a grave insult to history, to resilience, and to possibility. Anyone making such a declaration must be reminded: Nigeria is over 100 years old, and unless you are older than Nigeria itself, you do not have the right or depth of lived understanding to call it a failure.

This country has survived colonization, a brutal civil war, decades of military dictatorship, recessions, terrorism, and more. Each time, it stumbled. But each time, it stood again. Failure implies finality, the end of a journey. But Nigeria is still on her feet. Her heart still beats. Her people still rise every morning to hustle, t...