Nigeria, May 21 -- It was one of those slow Saturday mornings-lazy, gentle, with the hum of life captured in buzzing WhatsApp groups and endless social media banter. News poured in like a tropical rainstorm-some funny, some alarming, others soaked in heartbreak and dry wit. I had planned a quiet morning with my phone and a few online laughs, just a little break from reality. But then, the need for a little cash dragged me from the couch to a nearby POS shop. My intention? Withdraw a few naira and return to my digital theater. What I didn't expect was to stumble into a masterclass on economic hardship-unfiltered, unscripted, and more profound than anything a tweet could teach.

As I handed my ATM card to the POS operator, a middle-aged man...