Usually during protests, aggrieved citizens display the national flag even if they are fed up with the government of the day or its policies. It is a means of reaffirming loyalty to the nation.

During the historic #EndSARS protests of October 2020, Nigerian youths from all ethnic divides gathered at the foremost “holy ground” of agitations in Nigeria, the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos. They sang the Nigerian National Anthem: “Arise, O Compatriots”, recited the National Pledge and flew the National Flag. These are symbols of our nation that project profound patriotism.

Despite that, soldiers were drafted to end the protest in what the Justice Doris Okuwobi Judicial Panel of Inquiry tagged “Lekki Toll Gate Massacre”.

Four years later, the #EndBadGovernance protests erupted nationwide, except in the South-East and most of the South-South where it was purposefully boycotted. While the participants in the Lagos and Abuja areas generally maintained the non-violent undertaking of the organisers, it sparked riots in many parts of the North, notably Kano, Kaduna, Gombe, Jigawa, Plateau, Borno, Adamawa, Sokoto, Niger and others.

The rioters broke into shops and looted them. Some even climbed rooftops and stripped houses. In states like Kano, Kaduna and Jigawa, government establishments were attacked and looted.

The most surprising aspect of the #EndBadGovernance protest was the massive display of the Russian flag in many parts of the North. This was not repeated in any part of the South. The Russian mission in Nigeria denied any involvement. The authorities announced they had arrested some Spaniards in connection with the sponsorship, leaving people in confusion as to what connected Spaniards with Russian flags.

While we leave government agents to unravel the mystery of the Russian flag in our domestic protest, the meaning of it is not far-fetched. Countries like Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, which are close to Nigeria’s North have fallen into military rule. These rulers have also jettisoned the historic links of their countries to France and opened up to Russia for strategic partnership.

The Northern protesters’ use of the Russian flag simply means that those who sponsored them want military rule. Indeed, the protesters openly chanted slogans to that effect.

While the President Bola Tinubu administration goes through the expected motions of hunting down the real or imagined sponsors of the use of Russian flags, the Northern protesters spoke out what many Nigerians have been murmuring since the hardship became unbearable over the past year. Nigerians are beginning to question if our democracy is worth the pain of disappointing governance.

Despite the prevailing hardship, we, however, believe that democracy is still the best form of government.

The Tinubu administration and the governors must work harder to convince Nigerians that democracy is still the best. Nigerians want more effective and good governance, not “palliatives”, propaganda or crackdown. If the hardship continues this way, our democracy is endangered.

Endurance has limits.