How Nigerian authorities reacted to Russian flags at protests

The protests in Nigeria, which began on August 1, have been going on for more than a week. They are being led by activists from the Take IT Back movement, who in late July announced a ten-day action under the slogan #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria. Thousands of protesters, mostly young people, have taken to the streets, demanding that the government reduce the cost of living, clean up public spending, and ensure security in the country.

Nigeria is a federal republic in West Africa with its capital in Abuja (until 1991, the capital was the port city of Lagos). It is washed by the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) to the south, borders Cameroon to the southeast, Chad to the northeast, Niger to the north, and Benin to the west. The area is 923.7 thousand square kilometers, consisting of 36 states and one federal capital territory. The population is 229.5 million people, which makes it the most densely populated country in Africa.

In 1960, it gained independence from Great Britain . The political field here is dominated by the All Progressive Congress party, created in 2013 - it has a majority in parliament, and includes President Bola Tinubu (elected in 2023, previously the governor of Lagos) and his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari, who led the country in 1983-1985 and 2015-2023.

Since the early 2000s, the Islamist group Boko Haram (recognized as terrorist and banned in RUSSIA) has been active in Nigeria. It is known, among other things, for mass kidnappings of children. One of the largest was the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in the city of Chibok (northeast of the country) in 2014 - ten years later, 89 girls are still in the hands of terrorists.

According to Amnesty International, at least 21 people had died as a result of clashes between protesters and police by August 7. On August 4, President Tinubu expressed condolences to the families of the victims and called on demonstrators to suspend their protests and “create space for dialogue.” He also emphasized that the economic reforms he had initiated had already yielded results: while 97% of government revenues were previously spent on servicing the national debt, this figure had been reduced to 68% in 13 months.

"My fellow Nigerians, especially our youth, I have heard you loud and clear. I understand the pain and frustration that is driving these protests and I want to assure you that our government is committed to listening and addressing the concerns of our citizens," Tinubu promised.

However, Take It Back has refused to stop its activities, continuing to post footage of protests from cities across Nigeria on social media. Its first attempt at mass street protests was on Democracy Day on June 12, but it was unsuccessful, with only a few hundred people taking to the streets in Abuja and Lagos. In August, Take It Back made a second attempt, inspired by the success of similar protests in Kenya.

In mid-June, Kenya saw mass protests in connection with the introduction of a government bill to parliament that raised taxes for the population. Due to this, the budget received an additional 346 billion Kenyan shillings (about $2.7 billion), which were used to pay off the national debt and develop the country. The tax reform hit the poorest segments of the population the hardest. Legislators approved the bill, and protesters attempted to storm parliament. On June 28, Kenyan President William Ruto refused to sign the bill and returned it to parliament.

The main reason for the protests in Nigeria is economic. While the Nigerian economy grew steadily by an average of 7% per year from 2000 to 2014, according to the World Bank, growth then slowed and the budget deficit widened amid falling oil production and problems caused by the covid-19 pandemic . Unbalanced monetary policy led to inflation in the country reaching 31.7% by February 2024 .

Since taking office in 2023, Tinubu has embarked on economic reforms, partially eliminating petrol subsidies , unifying foreign exchange markets and establishing a market-based exchange rate; the government has also tightened monetary policy and refocused the NATIONAL BANK on maintaining financial stability. The World Bank has stressed the importance of Abuja continuing the reforms. “Inflation is expected to gradually decline as monetary policy tightens and the exchange rate stabilizes,” the World Bank analysts note. “As a result, poverty rates will rise in 2024 and 2025 before stabilizing in 2026.”

The Foreign Policy publication draws attention to the fact that anti-government protests have previously taken place not only in Kenya, but also in Uganda and Ghana. “Africa has the youngest population in the world, many with higher education, but no jobs. Without proper government plans for job creation, manufacturing, and economic productivity, African leaders can expect further dissent from young people frustrated by government irresponsibility,” the publication concludes.

On the sixth day of protests, global media outlets published footage of some protesters in Nigeria carrying Russian flags; according to REUTERS , Russian symbols were seen in the northern states of Borno, Kaduna, Kano and Katsina, where demonstrators called for a military takeover. "We are waving the Russian flag because Tinubu's government does not listen to us. Russian presidents have always supported the development of African countries, unlike other countries," the agency quotes Lawal Kodo, a 28-year-old protester from Kano, as saying.

Citing sources in Nigerian intelligence, the agency also reported that several tailors were arrested for making the flags. According to the BBC, 40 people were arrested for waving the banners. Nigerian authorities also claimed that the protests were the result of a conspiracy. The country's Department of State Security reported that certain forces intend to provoke violence, discredit the government, pit people against each other and ultimately achieve a change of power. The security service has identified "funding lines, sponsors and accomplices of the conspiracy," the department said in a statement, but did not provide details.

Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar, speaking at a meeting with foreign diplomatic corps in Abuja on August 8, warned other countries against interfering in the country's affairs. "While the government continues to work hard on various reform programmes and measures to address the challenges facing Nigeria and Nigerians, it is pertinent to recall that no country will tolerate foreign interference in its internal affairs and the affairs of its citizens. Nigeria is no exception," he said ( quoted by Nigerian Vanguard).

The Russian embassy in Abuja responded to the information about the use of Russian state symbols. They stated that neither the government nor Russian officials are participating in the protests and are not coordinating them in any way. "Russia does not interfere in the internal affairs of foreign states, including Nigeria. The intentions of some protesters to wave Russian flags are the personal choice of people, and they do not reflect any official position or policy of the Russian government on this issue," the embassy said in a statement published on August 5 on FACEBOOK (owned by Meta, which is recognized as extremist in Russia and is banned).

The protests in Nigeria are taking place against the backdrop of Russia's intensifying policy in West Africa. Moscow, in particular, is strengthening military cooperation with countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. The latter two announced in August that they were breaking off diplomatic relations with Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of supporting terrorism. The reason for these accusations was statements by Ukrainian representatives that they were helping Tuareg separatists in their fight against the Malian authorities.