Confusion as Kano #EndBadGovernance protesters fly Russian flag

 

The Nigerian and Russian flags were simultaneously waved during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano to the shock of many who wondered what was the motive. 

Russia has become the darling of many African countries including Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau  and recently Senegal. These West African countries have revolted against France and aligned their foreign policy engagements with Russia.  It is not clear if the Kano protesters want Nigeria to align with Russia too instead of the West.   

The protest has been nationwide in protest of President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies which have caused hardship across the land. 

Although he has addressed the #EndBadGovernance protesters, Human rights lawyer and activist, Inibehe Effiong, said his speech is like a fuel for further protest.  

In a post on his official X account, @InibeheEffiong said Tinubu did not make any concession to the demands of the protesters.

He said: “President Tinubu’s speech is just a pack of empty words and a time wasting load of irrelevancies.

“It is a confirmation of my long held view that we are dealing with a fatalistic political class that is intentionally deaf and willfully blind to the sufferings and yearnings of Nigerians.

“This President is disconnected from the reality of the everyday Nigerian. He’s living in an imaginary Nigeria that only exist in his head. The speech couldn’t have been more meaningless and aimless.

“Those who wrote it, and Mr. Tinubu who read it out, have succeeded in justifying the reasons for the nationwide protest.

“It is appalling that despite what we have witnessed across the country in the last three days, the President did not deem it necessary to speak to the specific demands of the protesters.

“A government is only useful if it serves the interest of the governed. This government is anti-people.

“Tinubu made no mention of electoral reform, no reversal of his horrible and devastating economic policies, he made no attempt to cut down the over bloated size of his government.

“Tinubu made no concessions. This President only did what despots do; ignore the agitations of the masses.

“Great leaders make sacrifices for their country, but terrible leaders like Tinubu only know how to sacrifice the country for their interest.

“It is not his voice that people wanted to hear, people wanted him to speak directly to their demands. His call for dialogue is in bad faith. 

“He did not address the mindless killing of protesters by security agencies in any meaningful way. He also did not set up any credible machinery for a purposeful dialogue. 

“Tinubu is preoccupied with the ridiculous idea that the protest is being sponsored by his political adversaries. This provocative arrogance by Nigerian politicians will be ended one day by Nigerians, one way or the other.”