The streets may have quieted, but the echoes of the #EndBadGovernance protests still reverberate across Nigeria. These demonstrations were not just a cry for change; they were a desperate scream against the agonising chokehold of economic despair, government neglect, and a spiralling descent into chaos.

Nigeria is burning, not just with the rage of its people, but with the unbearable heat of a record-breaking inflation rate of 34.2 percent. The naira, once a symbol of hope and stability, has become a cruel joke. The removal of the fuel subsidy, a decision made with callous disregard for the average Nigerian, has only added fuel to the fire. Our central bank, in a futile attempt to put out the flames, has hiked interest rates by a staggering 800 basis points. But these measures are nothing more than band-aids on a gaping wound.

“And while the South managed to keep its protests relatively peaceful, the North was engulfed in violence, looting, and bloodshed.”

Look around, and you’ll see the devastation everywhere. Food prices have soared to unimaginable heights, making basic sustenance a luxury. Energy costs have skyrocketed, leaving families in darkness. Transportation has become an expensive gamble, a daily struggle for survival. And while the South managed to keep its protests relatively peaceful, the North was engulfed in violence, looting, and bloodshed.

The carnage In the North is a damning indictment of our government’s failure to protect its citizens. Reports reveal that out of the 30 people killed on the first day of protests, 29 were from the North. This region, already crippled by poverty, is now drowning in blood. In a land where 86 million people live in multidimensional poverty, where children wander the streets instead of attending school, where bandits and kidnappers rule with impunity, what hope is there for peace?

Yet, amidst the chaos, a disturbing trend has emerged – a dangerous flirtation with Russian influence. In the North, Russian flags waved ominously, accompanied by calls for military rule. This is no coincidence. It’s a calculated move by external forces to exploit our vulnerability, to destabilise our nation further. The Wagner Group, a notorious Russian paramilitary organisation, has already made its presence felt in neighbouring countries. How long before Niagara falls into their grasp?

And where was our president during all this? Silent. Absent. Aloof. While the North burned, Bola Tinubu waited three long days to address the nation. When he finally spoke, his words rang hollow, disconnected from the harsh realities of life in Nigeria. His grand plan to cultivate 10 million hectares of land for food production is laughable in the face of rampant insecurity. Farmers are being slaughtered, farmlands abandoned, and bandits demand ransom for the right to plant crops. How can we cultivate anything in a land soaked with blood?

This is not just a crisis; it’s a full-blown catastrophe. Nigeria stands at the brink of collapse, its people trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, violence, and despair.

The #EndBadGovernance protests were a warning, a sign that the people have had enough. But if our leaders continue to ignore the cries of the masses, if they fail to address the root causes of our suffering, then these protests will be just the beginning.

The flames of discontent are smouldering beneath the surface, ready to erupt at any moment. And when they do, no one will be spared from the inferno. (BusinessDay Editorial)