Nigeria, Jan. 4 -- In Nigeria, Christmas is not a date, it is a performance. It is not December 25,it is Detty. And Detty is not a mood it is a lifestyle, a philosophy, a loud refusal to be depressed. By December, Nigerians who have been dodging creditors since February suddenly develop audacity. People who checked garri prices with fear in October are now pricing champagne with confidence. Salaries that did not last two weeks in June magically stretch into December, even when there was no raise, no bonus, and no miracle. If economics has rules, Nigerians suspend them for Detty Christmas. Detty Christmas is the annual ritual where Nigerians collectively agree to lie to themselves and to each other. We lie that things are okay. We lie that...