Nigeria, Dec. 15 -- When Senator Shehu Sani asked why Nigerians run abroad while foreigners run toward Nigeria, it sounded like a simple question. It wasn't. It was a trap disguised as wisdom.

On the surface, Nigeria looks like a marketplace buzzing with promise. Foreign shops open. Warehouses rise. Balance sheets smile. From a distance, it looks like faith. Up close, it's something else entirely.

Foreign success in a weak system does not mean the system works.

Nigeria is not a goldmine discovered overnight. It's a risky terrain where rules bend easily, enforcement is selective, and survival favors those who arrive prepared. The foreigners who come are not gamblers walking in empty-handed. They arrive with cash already stacked, network...