On December 16, the United States finally implemented its June warning by placing Nigeria on its travel ban list, confirming that months of supposed negotiations achieved nothing. In practical terms, this is an elite problem affecting a tiny fraction of Nigerians who will ever seek a U.S. visa. However, diplomatically it is a serious blow to Nigeria’s reputation and will likely be muddled with the controversy that came later over Christian persecution.
The deeper reality is that Nigeria is ill; and in denial. When a nation is very close to b
