Russian flags among #EndBadGovernance protesters could be Tinubu’s strategy to discredit protest before int’l community

In a troubling development during the ongoing #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, particularly in Some Northern states such as Kano, Kaduna, and Zamfara, the unexpected appearance of Russian flags, flew by some protesters has raised eyebrows .

Why many are thinking that it could be from those that prefer Russian alliance to USA alliance, I have a different view.

My view is that these flags could be part of a strategic maneuver by President Tinubu led Nigerian secret security agents aimed at discrediting the protests before the US led Western global audience.

The author, Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia

My point is that Nigerian government, led by President Bola Tinubu, is increasingly concerned about the international perception of the protests especially now and must have came up with Russian flag strategy to shift attention from reality in Nigeria under his watch especially as it relates to the hunger street protest across the country.

With the current economic crisis under Tinubu which is fueling the protest, there is a fear that foreign support for the demonstrations could create a political quagmire that may crash the Tinubu government that is still struggling for legitimacy.

By associating the protests with Russia, the Tinubu led government may be attempting to portray them as Russian-sponsored, thereby undermining their US led International recognition.

Once Russian is seen to be behind the protest, United State of America and their allies will take opposite position which is supporting Tinubu led government. A Position Tinubu Government want as it continue to lose local grounds.

Have you asked yourself why these Russian Flags did not appear during the first and second days of protest but later days?

By first and second days of the protest, the Tinubu administration was battling to come up with strategy to end it and when it was spreading across the country, they must have moved to discredit it before the larger International community or to get International community divided on the protest, but to make sure that they have the West to themselves, thus the Russian flag strategy.

The strategy appears to be an effort to convince Western nations that the protests, which are fundamentally rooted in local grievances, are instead a manifestation of Russian influence. This tactic could potentially secure Western backing for Tinubu’s government, which is desperately seeking to maintain its political foothold amidst growing domestic unrest.

My argument is that the distribution of Russian flags among protesters, many of whom may not even recognize the symbolism, reflects a calculated attempt to manipulate public sentiment and international narratives.

As Tinubu’s administration continues to lose political support at home, the creation of a false narrative surrounding “Russian interests” may be seen as a last-ditch effort to rally international support for an administration that have been into ‘policy-trial and error’ since he assumed office in May 29, 2023.

As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how both the Nigerian government and the international community will respond to these developments, and whether the protests will continue to gain momentum or be overshadowed by this controversial new dimension with Russian flags.

Russian has never been part of the Nigerian conversation and for their flag to be seen with many protesters in Some states in Northern Nigeria, is what I should have asked Security aganga to investigate but in this case, I am accusing the security agency in this case. I should have asked that National Assembly should investigate, but this time, they are part of the govt.

Do we still have investigative journalism in Nigeria to take up this task?

No matter what happens, for the fact that Tinubu led government seems not to have solutions to the economic crisis, creating International narrative with Russian flag to a local political-economic crisis may put Nigerians in the middle of Western/Eastern Dichotomy of the global struggle .

This will be another type of crisis where Nigeria’s ‘Forest’ will be open for International hunters struggling for global power control.

Why is Tinubu’s every steps keep creating more problems for the Nation?

The above is my personal opinion in the face of our Nation’s reality.

Ikechukwu Emeka Onyia

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