A single Thursday captured Nigeria's contradictory position on the world stage: the Presidency celebrated a letter from Donald Trump as a seal of approval, a U.S. Senator accused the government of running a PR campaign on religious persecution, and Dangote Refinery pulled in $2.5 billion — the largest private equity placement in African history. Abuja sees partnership. Washington sees a problem. Investors see an opportunity.

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• **Trump letter authenticity...