Russian overseas minister Sergey Lavrov has dismissed insinuations that the Russian authorities sponsored some Nigerian youths who waved Russian flags during the 2024 #EndBadGovernance protests.
Mr Lavrov, who spoke in Moscow on the sidelines of the Third Russia-Africa Summit, in response to a query by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stated Russia had no hand in the motion and distanced Moscow from any try and undermine Nigeria’s sovereignty.
According to him, Russia and Nigeria take pleasure in a strong relationship relationship again to the times of the outdated Soviet Union.
He stated those that donned Russian flags did so in their private capability and that it did not translate to official assist by Russia.
“Anyone who donned the Russian flag did so in his or her private capability. It does not imply that Russia was in assist of this sort of motion.
“A lot of citizens sympathetic to Palestinians wave Palestinian flags to express solidarity. It does not mean the Palestinian government is behind them,” Mr Lavrov stated.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) remembers that the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests happened from 1 to 10 August 2024, with the protesters citing excessive value of dwelling and financial hardship for his or her motion.
NAN additionally remembers that during the protests, some teams of protesters, largely youths and minors in Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara and Abuja, have been seen waving Russian flags and chanting slogans calling for navy intervention.
The motion, which the federal authorities described as treasonable and a risk to Nigeria’s sovereignty, led to the arrest of scores of protesters and a few tailors who have been allegedly stitching the flags.
The Russian Embassy in Abuja had, on the time, additionally denied any involvement.
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Mr Lavrov stated the strong relationship between Nigeria and Russia had seen a rise in scholarships awarded to Nigerians, reaching a peak of 220 in 2026.
He recalled that in 2024, he met together with his Nigerian counterpart in Abuja, who warmly obtained him, and cemented the bilateral ties between the 2 international locations.
On defence pacts with some international locations in the Sahel, Mr Lavrov stated Russia was serving to to get rid of safety threats in the area, including that Moscow was conscious that some Western capitals have been utilizing Ukrainian mercenaries to sabotage the efforts, as they did in Libya, in a bid to undermine regional stability.
Commenting on the latest diesel provide settlement with the United States, the overseas minister stated it was purely a enterprise determination and would not have an effect on the pursuits of its allies.
“The diesel agreement with the U.S. is purely a business decision by two world leaders who are concerned by the rising cost of energy,” he stated.
(NAN)
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