Throughout History, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most, that has made it possible for evil to triumph.

Late Emperor haile Selessie

MONEY LAUNDERING: NIGERIAN ACTIVISTS TARGET NIGERIAN BANKS IN LONDON AND NEW YORK

SEE ALSO : NIGERIA IS NOT WORKING. THIS IS THE TIME TO CONFRONT YAR ADUA’S GOVERNMENT. -A Must Read!!!

WHY WE TARGET NIGERIAN BANKS ABROAD By ChangeNigeria--Facts You must know!!!

The ChangeNigeria group of Canada is at it again. You may remember them as the same group that stopped the Nigerian Ambassador to Canada, Ambassador Hagher, from attending the Independence Day celebration in Toronto, Canada on October 11, 2008. At the time, the group vowed to use every legal technique available to draw attention to the problem of corruption in Nigeria by taking the fight to the international arena. They argue that the only reason apartheid ended in South Africa was because the regime was facing economic ruin from sanctions and global political pressure. They intend to follow that model.

In line with its sworn objective of taking on all the forces of economic and political oppression in Nigeria, a member of ChangeNigeria group of Canada flew to England to stage one man protest at Southwalk Crown Court in London, England during the recent court appearance of James Ibori's money laundering trial. The protest was intended to draw the attention of Nigerians and Britons to the atrocities perpetrated against the Nigerian people by former Gov. Ibori and his co-conspirators. Although many Nigerians in England were invited and promised to appear for the demonstration, none of them showed up on the appointed date, leaving the lone demonstrator, Magnus Akim Inneh, to wonder whether Nigerians are actually ready for a change. The demonstrator was verbally attacked by two people believed to be shameless supporters of the Iboris. They claimed that Ibori's looting could not be called stealing because he used the money to liberate his family from poverty. But asked why Ibori has been charged with fraud in Nigeria and Britain, these apologists could not answer.

Following their "highest impact" approach to using demonstrations to highlight the shameful role of Nigerian banks in the looting of the country's resources and perpetuation of the oppressive political system, Magnus Akim Inneh and his now increasing number of demonstrators followed up the Southwalk Crown Court demonstration with a demonstration at the London branches of Zenith and Guaranty Trust Banks. While demonstrating at these banks, he handed out flyers warning customers and the public against the risk of entrusting their money to money laundering operations called Nigerian banks, especially during this period of global bank failures. The employees at Zenith bank scrambled to make telephone calls to Nigeria to appraise the management of what was going on. It is not clear what the reaction of management was in Nigeria.

From Zenith Bank, the demonstration moved from to Guaranty Trust Bank. It appeared the manager of Guaranty Trust Bank had his own strategy for dealing with the demonstrators. Immediately the demonstrators arrived, he called the Metropolitan Police, the same body that is seeking to imprison James Ibori, his wife and accomplices. Upon arrival, the police lectured the manager and his employees on the demonstrators' rights and warned them against attempting to stop the demonstrators with any illegal means. The demonstration continued after that. The demonstration continued for hours despite pleas from the employees that the bank opened only a few months ago and that the demonstration would have a negative impact on their business. Nigerian and foreign employees of both Zenith and Guaranty Trust Banks wondered why the group did not target UBA, the Nigerian Bank that was fined $15 million dollars for money laundering and regulatory non-compliance by United States regulators. The employees' opinion was that the demonstrators should target UBA before any other bank since they were the "grand daddies" of money laundering in Nigeria and they provided some insight on how the demonstration could be packaged. Questioned why the did not actually target the UBA, the demonstrators responded that the Zenith and Guaranty Trust Banks demonstrations were test runs, and that they are targeting UBA New York branch for an unprecedented demonstration that will draw Nigerians from Canada and the United States. They claim that the amount of information that will be made available during the UBA demonstration will include the issue of the $15 million dollars fine, the cooking of accounting records by UBA, the role of Tony Elumelu and Andy Uba in Nigerian politics, Nigerian government and the administration of UBA.

They plan to point to United States regulators, how Tony Elumelu and Andy Uba rose from nowhere to become multi-billionaires as a result of money laundering. In the wake of Enron and the current economic meltdown in the United States and around the world, allegations of improper accounting is one that is likely to get UBA and Tony Elumelu into more trouble with United States regulators.

At both Zenith and Guaranty Trust Banks, the customers were upset and apprehensive after reading the contents of the flyers distributed by the demonstrators. Many of them vowed to close their accounts thereafter. The group said it is not bothered about these banks losing customers because their goal is to hit the banks where it hurts the most – their pockets – and force them to close these foreign operations that are nothing more than money laundering operations.

The rational underlying the targeting of these banks by the demonstrators is that the banks are the ones assisting the politicians in laundering the money they steal from the treasuries. Without them, it will be very difficult for the politicians to move these funds around the world in hard cash. On whether attacking the banks would not affect Nigerians and the economy negatively, the demonstrators challenged us to tell them when the activities of Nigerian banks and government policies have had positive effect on Nigerians. They likened the argument to the same one made by supporters of apartheid in South African who argued that sanctions would hurt blacks as if there was ever a time when the apartheid system brought any form of succor to blacks.

Since the Nigerian government is lacking the political will to tackle corruption generally and the shameful role of the banks in particular, members of ChangeNigeria group have vowed to take the fight to the banks outside the shores of Nigeria where the laws are very clear with respect to the right of demonstrators and the meaning of money laundering. Members of this group are asking Nigerians around the world to realize their ability to change their country by chasing away the thieves in government. In the age of Obamamania, who needs to be told that those who want changes must demand it and that change would not come to those who sit in front of their television sets hoping for change. The group says it is in intensifying efforts to identify the foreign banks that are collaborating with Nigerians through the granting of lines of credit and other banking facilities. They reason that these foreign banks are more susceptible to negative publicity and if pressured enough, would consider cutting ties to the bank.

They are also calling on Nigerians to stop fearing these thieves called politicians because outside the shores of Nigeria they become ordinary citizens. Their inability to give instructions to the police or ask them to arrest demonstrators was shown in Toronto, Canada and London, England where police officers who were called to arrest the demonstrators took time to educate those who invited them on the rights of the demonstrators. Any one interested in their world can contact them at changenigeria@gmail.com or visit thier blog at http://www.changenigeriamovement.blogspot.com/

IF NIGERIANS ARE TO PAY MORE TAXES, LET THE CROOKED RICH BE THE ONES TO PAY

In the last few weeks, the federal and several state governments in Nigeria have announced that they will be imposing new taxes and/or raising the rates of existing taxes in order to make up for the 2009 projected budget shortfalls. Ifueko Omoigui of the Federal Inland Revenue Services was the first to fire the shot on behalf of the federal government, only to be followed by several state governments. Their argument is that Nigerians do not pay enough taxes.

For the average follower of fiscal developments in Nigeria, news of plans to raise taxes did not come as a surprise. It is the latest offensive against helpless and defenseless citizens by the ruling cabal. This is all the more a reasonable conclusion as it is coming on the heels of unprecedented but largely unaccounted for oil revenues. These citizens, who are now expected to bear the tax burden of bailing these governments out of the deficit holes into which they have dug themselves, are yet to be told what happened to the billions of dollars that accrued during the boom of the summer months when world oil price hit $147.00 a barrel.

As an individual involved in the issues surrounding taxes and taxation, I am all for the employment of taxes as a fiscal control and revenue generation tool. However, my fear is that, like all other policies that have been put in place since independence in 1960, the tax burden will be borne by poor Nigerians while the rich continue to loot and live without any responsibility to the society. I do not believe that our tax policy makers or the governments will have the boldness to impose taxes on those deserving of it. The political will or “liver” is just not there. A government that cares for its people and understands its obligations to them cannot separate tax policies from the overall goal of building a just and fair society through the proportionate distribution of tax burdens.

It must first be made clear that a government has no inherent right to impose taxes on citizens or businesses within its jurisdiction. A government’s right to impose taxes is inextricably tied to its obligation to provide amenities to its citizens, including good roads, education, security and opportunities for advancement. A government that is not meeting its obligations to its citizens does not have the right to impose taxes on its citizens and this is the source of the “no taxation without representation” argument. Consequently, citizens who do not enjoy the benefits of taxation or have a say in how they are governed do not have an obligation to pay taxes.

Now, let us examine some of the rationales for taxation, especially progressive taxation that imposes a higher tax burden on the rich. The history of taxation in the United Kingdom, United States and Canada are traceable to the advent of wars, periods when governments urgently needed revenues to meet war time obligations in order to discharge their obligations of safeguarding their citizens and protecting their territorial integrity. A second reason is the need to ensure that those who reap the benefits provided by taxation are made to replenish the public account and this is one justification for imposing a higher tax burden on the rich as against the poor. The rich consume more of public amenities, be it their direct use or consumption of roads, water, electricity, telephone services, Internet or the indirect use of these amenities through their investments or companies. A third reason is the need to redistribute income from the rich to the poor. Although the recent U.S. elections demonstrated vividly that redistribution of wealth is no longer a politically acceptable grounding for progressive taxation, the truth remains that every system of taxation involves one form of income redistribution or the other. In the context of Nigeria, where a very high percentage of the wealth in private hands is the result of treasury looting, this rationale ought to be as important as the others.

Now that we know the source of a government’s right to tax its citizens and some of the policy reasons for taxation, the next question is whether the federal and state governments in Nigeria have a right to tax Nigerians. These governments have failed, woefully, to meet their obligations to their citizens, notwithstanding the fact that they have been collecting one form of tax or the other since independence. Roads have become death traps, insecurity is the order of the day, academic institutions have become the proper place for training uneducated citizens and hospitals that are supposed to save lives cannot even preserve the bodies of those who have died. I will not aggravate you by mentioning electricity. Nigerians have no say in how they are governed, their votes do not count in elections and all they get from public officials are impunity and disrespect. We can see from the above that these governments do not have the right to impose taxes on Nigerians. But this does not end the issue. You can bet these governments are going to go ahead and impose taxes on ordinary Nigerians and before they do so, we may as well tell them who and what to tax – it is not like they will listen but it is important that each person’s position be documented for posterity.

The federal government has indicated that about half (50%) of it’s approximately N2 trillion ($20 billion) plus 2009 federal budget is going to be deficit spending. To avoid this inflationary scenario in an economy that is already battered by rising prices, it needs to raise about N1 trillion ($10 billion) plus in additional taxes. When you look at the Nigeria of today, it should be apparent to a seasoned tax policy practitioner where the federal and state governments should be focusing their revenue generating efforts if only they have the political will to do the right thing. My first suggestion to the federal government will be the imposition of property tax in the federal capital territory – Abuja. There are thousands of houses or mansions in that part of the country valued at hundreds of millions of naira. Anyone who has seen the houses that are selling for over N100 million naira knows there are several thousand houses in Abuja valued at over N100 million and some worth as much as a billion. Imposition of a 1% property tax on these houses will raise billions in revenue for the federal government but I will be surprised if the federal government will have the boldness to impose this tax. I say so because Abuja a city of the elites and those who occupy these houses are the movers and shakers in the country’s policy circles, including tax policy. I have limited the scope of this tax to the federal capital territory due to constitutional law restraints – property tax is the domain of local governments in many advanced countries who use it to fund education. Since Abuja is a federal territory and it contains most of the houses that should be targeted by this tax, the federal government should be able to impose the tax without worrying about constitutional restraints.

The second area that should be considered should be the imposition of a tax on bank withdrawals over a certain amount. When you look at the level of poverty in the country, a monthly bank withdrawal tax that will kick in at a threshold of N50,000.00 will not cause many Nigerians sleepless nights because 95% of them do not make that much money in months. It is the rich who have this much to withdraw from their bank accounts and they should be the ones paying the tax. Granted, this type of tax will have some administrative difficulties due to the presence of many banks in the country, and some customers will spread out their deposits in several banks to avoid this tax. But the truth be told, how many bank accounts would you need to avoid this tax if you are withdrawing hundreds of thousands every month as many of the rich people in the country do? The Nigerian economy is still a predominantly cash economy and the target of this tax will have a very hard time avoiding it. There will no doubt be some avoidance issues with this tax but such will not be enough to eradicate its benefits or remove it from consideration.

Third, the federal government should impose a stiff tax on money transfers going out of the country. Poor people do not engage in money transfers outside the country. Those who engage in this practice are treasury looters and the rich. Recently, it was revealed that almost $14 billion was transferred out of the country in an eight-week period, a practice that has accelerated the battering of the naira. The EFCC indicated that those involved were treasury looters who are transferring money overseas to buy assets that have become very cheap as a result of the global economic meltdown. Notwithstanding the rationale for the transfers, a 10% tax on the $14 billion would have generated $1.4 billion or over N140 billion, enough money to meet the budget of three to four states in the federation. I am aware that transfers related to the purchase of industrial raw materials and equipment will be caught by this tax but it is not a reason for not imposing it. Companies transferring funds to meet business obligations should be entitled to full refunds upon filing their yearly tax returns or accounting for the products made from the raw materials. But in a country where almost no one pays taxes, I doubt very few on them will file tax returns in order to retrieve the money transfer tax. However, if this tax achieves the indirect goal of encouraging individuals and companies to file tax returns, then the better for the tax system. This tax should also cover physical cash that is leaving the country.

Fourth, the federal government should impose a tax on foreign remittances entering the country. Last year alone, Nigerians living overseas reportedly remitted more than $4 billion dollars back home. I am aware that a sizeable portion of these remittances are meant for the upkeep of parents and other family members of those living abroad but who have been abandoned by their government. However, a good percentage of these remittances have nothing to do with the upkeep of family members. They are payments related to one form of business or the other, legal or illegal. A 5% tax on the $4 billion remitted in 2007 would have generated over $200 million or N20 billion for the federal coffers. To cushion the effect of this tax on those who depend on their children and or family members in the Diaspora for support, they should be entitled to a full refund if they file their tax returns at the end of the year and their incomes are below a certain threshold. Those over the threshold should not be entitled to any refund. In terms of ease of administration, Western Union, Moneygram and the other international companies involved in money transfers should be required to collect this tax at the point of transfer. This will not only ease administration, it will prevent the revenue from going into the itchy palms of our tax collectors. Issues of jurisdiction can be taken care of through reciprocal tax agreements with the home governments of these foreign entities. The reach of this tax should include physical cash coming into the country.

Fifth, a very high luxury tax should be imposed on goods consumed by the rich. This will include imported wines, private aircrafts, and certain class of cars among others. Many of those involved in the consumption of these goods are also those involved in treasury looting, it therefore makes sense to impose this tax on them until such a time when the EFCC decides to do the more direct thing of arresting, jailing and retrieving the looted funds. In light of the current government’s attitude towards fighting corruption, taxation of the rich may be the next best solution for now. You can see from the list of taxes I have suggested so far, that I have taken care to make sure that they directly target the rich. It is not an offence to be rich. In fact, being rich is very good but such wealth should not come from treasury looting. Most of the problems bedeviling the country today are the creations of the rich and greedy and they should be made to pay for the consequences.

I can continue to list the areas that are deserving of new taxes or higher taxes but I will not. I will not because the few areas that I have already mentioned for taxation are capable of generating enough revenue to cover the budget shortfall short fall at the federal level. The states can piggyback some of the suggested taxes like property tax. The federal government can even split taxes raised from withdrawal taxes with the states because banks and banking utilize some state resources. The states can come up with additional tax measures that will target mainly the rich who also happen to be the people who have looted the treasuries. – no sympathies. Imposing these taxes will not only generate revenue, they would also have the indirect effect of encouraging tax compliance by ordinary and corporate citizens and entities who would want a refund. After all, a company that is claiming a refund of the money transfer tax it paid on the money spent purchasing raw materials would have to account for the profit made from the products it made from the raw materials.

I will now go back to where I started this article from and that is the government’s right to impose taxes on citizens. The tax regime that I have suggested above assumes the existence of a government that collects taxes and spends it for the benefit of the people. But this is not the scenario in Nigeria. The fact is that these taxes will be collected, a lot of the revenue will end up in private pockets and the portion that makes its way to the federal coffers will partly be stolen by government officials and the balance spent on the bloated salaries of politicians and their collaborators in all sectors of government consequently, I will be against the imposition of these taxes without a change in the contours in our political terrain. With a government that is serious in place, the taxes suggested will go a long way in helping federal and state governments to meet the demands of temporary deficits and once they get out of the deficits, spend the money to improve the lives of ordinary Nigerians who have suffered most from government’s shenanigans.

For readers who feel there is something wrong with my suggestions on the basis that Nigeria is different, I agree with them without any doubt. The suggestions are wrong for an environment like Nigeria because the political, economic imperatives needed for them to achieve the rationales behind them are not in place due to the lack of will on the part of government. I have no sympathy for the rich who will bear the burden of the suggested taxes, but the goals of reducing deficit spending and the often attendant danger of inflation, recovering some of the country’s looted funds and altering social behavior will not be achieved if the revenue generated ends up in the pockets of government officials. For these measures to achieve their desired objectives there must be a firm and factually verifiable commitment to fight corruption and build institutions that can support democratic governance.

By Majekodunmi Adega

ChangeNigeria@gmail.com

Toronto, Canada

NIGERIA IS NOT WORKING: TIME FOR NIGERIANS TO CONFRONT THIS GOVERNMENT

NIGERIA IS NOT WORKING. THIS IS THE TIME TO CONFRONT YAR ADUA’S GOVERNMENT.

I am asking you to believe, not just in my ability to bring change in Washington....I am asking you to believe in your ability. - Barack Obama What is going on in Nigeria today is akin to a situation where 100,000 hijackers take control of a plane carrying 140 million passengers. Reasonable people will admit that the passengers should not have a hard time displacing the hijackers. Counting from independence, the people who have brought Nigeria to its knees are less than 100,000. Yet they have been able to hold the other 140 million people hostage.

Nigerians must not only believe in their ability to change their country as a group, they must also believe in the critical importance of their individual ability to change the course of Nigeria’s history. Nigerians cannot celebrate the emergence of Barack Obama without remembering the sacrifices made by those who came before him. Preparing Nigerians for those who will come after this generation is the task confronting this generation.

After 17 months in the presidency, Nigerians now know that President Yar’ Adua’s idea of rule of law is that the former presidents, governors, ministers and other top level government officials who have financially raped the country are either never arrested or when arrested, are charged to court within 48 hours in air-conditioned luxury cars. At the same time, he sees no conflict with the rule of law when an Internet reporter spends almost two weeks in jail without ever being charged with any known offence for daring to challenge the Emperor of Aso Rock and the corrupt, rotten and dilapidating empire that he presides over.

After 48 years of statehood during which this potentially great country has crawled or even slept while countries like China, Singapore and Malaysia made tremendous economic advances, one would expect any responsible government to engage in a sprint to catch up with those countries that have left us behind. Nigerians now know that it takes the president about five months to announce a cabinet re-shuffle. Time will tell how long it will actually take him to find new ministers who are crooked enough to understand that in present day Nigeria, you get appointed not to do the job. Those who actually do or try to do their jobs get fired or demoted in rank. Political apologists have told us that the president is taking things slowly so as to avoid making mistakes. The problem is that, in his confusion, this president gave himself a 200% pay raise without understanding his job requirements and he had no qualms about that.

Nigerians now know that Yar Adua cannot change anything in that country for good. The same people who led Nigeria into the current abyss are the ones he has recycled into ministers, advisers and lawmakers. The same people who ruined Nigeria before (apologies to Fela) are now the people posing as saviors. Nigerians have received enough insult and should not tolerate any more.

Nigerians now know that this president is not prepared to arrest and try those who have looted the country’s resources because he is one of them. Remember his net worth jumped from N66 million in 1999 to N900 million in 2007. If he got this rich through investments, even the legendary investor Warren Buffet will look at such feat with envy. Nigerians will expect him to do the same with the economy. The President does not have the political foresight to understand that the money needed to provide electricity to Nigerians and lay the foundation for an industrial take off is less than what has been stolen by those friends of his who hang out with him in Aso Rock.

We now know that the president does not have the ability to understand that while those around him may tell him how great he is as a leader, the best he can ever achieve if he continues on this treacherous road is mediocrity and ignominy and this is a fact. His regime and its 7 point agenda to no where will be reduced to a footnote when the history of Nigeria’s emancipation is written. Let him ask Obasanjo who was led to believe, courtesy Frank Nweke, that he was the father of modern day Nigeria. Now he knows better that he is not even the father of modern day Abeokuta.

There are millions of reasons why Nigerians should not hope for a kobo of good leadership from Yar Adua. As I have said before, PDP has all the characteristics of a criminal organization. Where it not a political party, there would be no difference between it and the notorious Mafia. Everything it does as a party or government is in furtherance of its criminal goal of enriching the pockets of its members. Its pragmatic raison de entre is the looting of Nigeria’s resources and that is what makes it a criminal organization. Nothing good will come out of a government in which Ibori controls the strings of power, Saraki picks the EFCC chairwoman, and Aminu who has been implicated in the Siemens scandal continues to head a senate committee. Trust me, do not waste your time expecting anything good from this government. The politicians are only there to fill their pockets and it is the moral responsibility of Nigerians to stop them.

How can Nigerians stop these marauding and shameless lootocrats you may ask. Before addressing this concern, I would like to point out my observation that despite being a country of eminently intelligent people, Nigerians have bought into this idea that the country can never change. This claim which is being bandied around by those who are benefiting from the corrupt system is factually deficient. It is lacking of any empirical foundation. What Nigerians are tolerating is a situation where those who have stolen their resources are now trying to steal or control their minds by making them believe they have been condemned to misery, darkness, insecurity, bad roads and leadership by morons. Martin Luther King once said that you will have to bend your back for another person to ride it. Nobody can ride your back if you decide to stand up straight.

These lootocrats, who give no damn about God while pillaging the people’s entitlement, want Nigerians to be patient and pray. They never fail to remind anyone who cares to listen that they were put in office by God but they cannot explain why God would resort to election rigging if ever the Supreme Being wanted to get involved in elections. Neither are they able to tell Nigerians the portions of the Bible and Koran that encourages its followers to loot public funds and in return give alms to the poor. Nigerians have been bamboozled into believing that their situation is the creation of God or God’s punishment for past sins. Nothing can be further from the truth. Before our very own eyes, we are seeing a practical demonstration of why Karl Marx called religion the opium of the masses. Christians and Muslims and followers of other religions must wake up from their slumber, rise up and practice the dictates of their religion. They must challenge evil as dictated by their religious beliefs. The Bible implores Christians to resist evil and shy away from the company of evil doers.

The power and ability to change Nigeria is in the hands of Nigerians and I am not a dreamer, although no one has ever been jailed for dreaming. Just imagine a situation where Nigerians decide that enough is enough and serve notice on this illegal regime that at a set date, not too far in the future, Nigerian workers, students, traders and other citizens will shut down the country by staying at home. They will not go on the streets to avoid the brutalities of the Nigerian state. I will bet my life that this caricature structure that we call a government will not survive 30 days of such a stay home protest. What is the big deal if the workers are not paid for one month? Afterall, they have gone months before without getting paid. Confronted with a situation like this, the Nigerian government will collapse. How will it survive without petrol, banking services to facilitate bribery, police officers, air traffic controllers and power supply for propaganda through NTA?

Confronted with the situation described above, a president that needed five months to reshuffle a cabinet will quit office because there will be nothing he can do. These politicians who will want you to believe they are superstars, maybe gangsters, have no stomach for a fight. They will be the first to cross the borders and take the next available flight to Europe and North America to enjoy the coziness of the mansions they purchased with the peoples blood. Remember the story of the bomb explosions at Ikeja Cantonment and the governor who took Okada to Cotonou, fearing a military coup? The story illustrates the cowardice of those lording it over an otherwise proud and brilliant group of people.

The charlatans around Aso Rock are worse than Judas; they will betray the president, and deservedly so, even before the cock crows. The president will be left stranded in Aso Rock until he sees the light and resigns. He will be stranded because if he decides to bomb all Nigerians out of their houses, the Nigerian Air Force has no functional aircrafts for the job nor would they find aviation fuel. He will be stranded because there will be nobody on the streets for the Police to brutalize. He will be stranded because there will be no NTA to sing his praises as it often does when the country is actually in flames.

Notwithstanding the attraction and practicality of the above scenario, considerable ground work needs to be done by Nigerians outside the country. They must take the lead in bringing about this reality. They must set the stage for what could become an epic struggle for the soul of Nigeria. They must take the lead because they can prepare the ground for the scenario described above by enlightening the people inside the country through peaceful demonstrations in Europe and North America. They can organize massive demonstrations targeting Nigerian embassies and high commissions, branches of Nigerian banks in New York and London (we regret there are none in Canada) for their role in helping politicians launder billions of stolen money.

In this era of global financial meltdown and bank failures, all that is needed to get the customers of these banks to withdraw their money, go elsewhere, and shut down these money laundering operations called banks is letting them know that their bank is involved in money laundering and therefore risking regulatory sanctions and possible collapse. UBA has already paid millions to the United States government for similar reasons and unfortunately, shareholders have not been bold enough to sue UBA in the United States. Picketing these banks will force their international lending partners to withdraw or limit their credit facilities. It will not be long before they banks close down and return home defeated.

In a place like London-England for example, mansions purchased with stolen money dot the landscape and saharareporters.com has done a wonderful job of letting us know where some of these assets are located. The politicians come to town almost every weekend riding in their big cars and hosting million dollar parties. Unfortunately, many Nigerians, the very victims of the politicians’ greed fall over one another fighting to be invited to these shameful displays of unmitigated greed and emptiness. Why are Nigerians in England not picketing these parties? Why are they not carrying placards in front of these mansions and letting the neighbors know that they have a thief in their midst?

As practitioners of the technique described above, members of our group have achieved success with it. Through picketing, we have been able to stop the ambassador from attending some functions in Toronto and wasting the country’s money through dubious allowances and accommodation fees. Recently, a state governor was de-invited from the list of people to be honored by an organization in Canada because our group made it clear that we will picket the show. By stopping this state governor’s proposed jamboree we estimate that we have saved the people of the state enough money for 50 boreholes, assuming a cost of N200,000.00 per borehole. We arrived at this calculation by estimating that the governor would have shown up in town with at least 10 people flying first class at a cost of $5,000.00 per ticket, add lodging, allowances and the services of call girls or prostitutes then you have a bill of $100,000.00 Please do not ask me why they are honoring this governor whose only achievement is the looting of state resources.

Better still, why have Nigerians in England not instituted lawsuits to recover the houses belonging to the politicians, sell them and keep the proceeds in a bank until there is the opportunity to return the money to a responsible government? For the doubting Thomases, follow this link to see the case of Zambia v. Chiluba: http://www.assetrecovery.org/kc/node/4ec2e572-cd77-11dc-b471-db7db47931e5.html.0;jsessionid=0F8B7F086F47FC951135B6DEB302A879

In the above case, a British court ordered former president Chiluba and his fellow conspirators to return over $45 million dollars to the people of Zambia. The court derived its jurisdiction from the fact that the stolen money went into the British banking system. I am not an expert in this area but do have considerable training, knowledge and experience in the area of asset recovery and banking litigation. Anyone interested in this type of litigation or any other matter relating to efforts to change Nigeria can contact our group at changenigeria@gmail.com The time has come to put the toes of these politicians to the fire. For those of us in Canada, our promise is that if we find one of these houses, our group will go to court to recover it and we invite anyone with knowledge to try our resolve with proper information. I cannot imagine one of these politicians taking the witness stand and being cross-examined on the relationship between his/her tax return, accumulation of funds in their bank accounts and the saving of the money used in buying these houses. The banks that granted the mortgages, if any, should be added to the litigation in order to gain access to documents from the transaction in its possession.

Hope is an essential ingredient of human life but like everything else, hope in the face of a factually hopeless situation is akin to myopia. Tragically and for too long, Nigerians have hoped and come to believe that if they struggle long enough and kiss enough back sides, they will finally get their opportunity to partake in the national hobby of treasury looting. How wrong they have been. From a mathematical point of view, does not Nigeria have enough money to make every Nigerian a millionaire, the resounding answer is no. For this group of Nigerians, they may actually be “waiting for their turn to die”

According to Martin Luther King, the triumph of good over evil can only come through constant struggle and it will take the commitment of a few dedicated citizens to change the country. One thing that would surprise those of you who may be interested in this kind of struggle is the resistance to change within the Nigerian community in Diaspora. Virulent opposition should be expected. Despite the Saturday evening sport of politician bashing that takes place over bottles of beer in any setting where Nigerians are gathered, you will be surprised at the creative arguments some Nigerians will come up with to explain why a particular politician is not part of the problem and why demonstrations should only take place in certain places. They say the ambassador is not part of the problem, a man who has was a senator in the second republic and has remained a politician ever since. He has been a witness to Nigeria’s decline, although he is not alone. If the ambassador is not part of the problem then my late father must be part of the problem. Underlying these arguments of exclusion and or exemption lie the existing or desired relationship that these Nigerians would like to have with the corrupt politicians.

I sympathize with the group I just described above because they have failed to recognize the teachings of history. The teaching represented by Martin Luther King’s words that “oppressors never give up power voluntarily, the oppressed must demand it” The few dedicated ones must go on and at the point of inevitability, those sitting on the fence will be welcomed back home where they belonged in the first place. Some of them are behaving like seasoned gamblers by hedging their bets by supporting both sides, watching to see if we will fail and this is the reason why we must not fail.

We have studied different models of popular change and concluded that the Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi models are not suitable for Nigeria. These individuals succeeded because they were allowed to demonstrate internally. We also do not think the instantaneous popular uprisings that occurred in Ukraine, Georgia and Romania will work for the same reasons.

We believe that the South African model of pilling economic and political pressure on the government from outside is best suited for Nigeria, an environment that is hostile to civil demonstrations. The catalyst for change in South Africa came partly from those demonstrations in London, Rome, Amsterdam, New York and other places. Others came from the strangulating economic conditions. The government capitulated in the face of economic ruin. This is what Nigerians have to do. The pressure must be built from outside before finally going for the juggernaut with an internal sit at home protest. With respect to Nigerians feeling the brunt of economic hardship, please tell me about the time in history when the common Nigerian has not borne the brunt of economic hardship. Moreover, the oppressors in South Africa made this same dubious argument.

Ibori’s wife is expected in a London court on November 13 and 14. On that same day, we intend to demonstrate in front of some Nigerian banks in London, England.

There is no better time to highlight the shameful roles played by these banks in assisting Ibori to loot the people’s resources. Chief among these culprits is Cecilia Ibru of Oceanic Bank. Since the EFCC has “lost” its files, we are going to help them recover the money. We are inviting all well meaning Nigerians to show up for this demonstration. Those who are interested can contact us at changenigeria@gmail.com for further information on strategies and location.

I want to end here by challenging every Nigerian out there to examine what they are living for and what they would like to leave behind for the next generation. Most things are transient and one of the few enduring legacies is the work we do for the betterment of humanity.

changenigeria@gmail.com

Toronto, Canada

Why ChangeNigeria is targeting Nigerian banks overseas

WHY WE TARGET NIGERIAN BANKS ABROAD By ChangeNigeria

Nodoby can ride your back unless you decide to bend - Martin Luther King Jnr.

Dear Supporters:We at ChangeNigeria would like to thank everyone of you who has emailed in the last few days to express your support for the work we are doing. Your encouragement is the tonic we need to go on, although we would be happier if you take to the streets with us!Although quality of support is the ultimate, there is some strenght to be gained from numbers.

Some of you have wondered why we are targeting Nigerian banks overseas. We belive the attached story will help explain some of the reasons.http://www.pointblanknews.com/os1239.html

We need Nigerians to organize into local groups and find targets that will help the struggle - embassies, banks and businesses that are supporting the corrupt regime. You can also lookout for visiting politicians and demonstrate in front of the mansions they bought with your stolen money. There is nothing they can do because demonstration is legal as long as you are on the sidework or government property. Demonstrating against these politicians will expose them to their neighbours and it will not be long before the move.You will also be helping Nigerians back home through these demonstrations. The governor of Niger state was de-invited from the list of people to receive awards in Toronto last month. We figured that we saved the people of Niger State about $100,000. We figured out this amount by estimating that the governor would have come to town with about seven (7) people flying first class at $5,000.00 each. Then accommodation at Sheraton or Hilton at about $500.00 a night. Then add to that, the dubious estacodes. We believe the amount saved would be enough to give the people of Niger state 50 boreholes at the cost of $2,000.00 a borehole. This is what a demonstration or the threat of it can do. The power to change Nigeria is in our hands and we are more powerful than we think.

Nigeria is not going to change simply because we are talking about change. We must begin to "walk" the change. In the era of Obamamania who is to tell us that we cannot win? With the little demonstrations so far, the banks are in a panic mood because they know the effect of what we are doing and unfortunately for them, there is no legal means of stopping us. Unlike Nigeria, they cannot order the police to arrest us. In fact, police forces in cities where we have demonstrated have been very supportive of our efforts. The banks have contacted us with a view to finding out what we need - you know what that means in Nigeria - bribe. But they have wrong people to deal with. We told them what we needed but not what they wanted to hear - the mass resignation of the current bank chiefs and their co-conspirator in chief, Saludo, and the institutions of compliance oversight committees supervised by credible local and international bodies. We know they will never do this so the demonstrations must go on. Obviously, they did not like this. Believe in yourself, we can shake these institutions and force the changes that we want. It is only in Nigeria that they are big men and women. Outside Nigeria, they are no different from any other citizen.

We are seriously looking for people to form a local ChangeNigeria group in Sout Africa because of the concentration of Nigerian banks there. We do not expect this to be easy, but it is not impossible. Anyone with information in this respect should please contact us at changenigeria.gmail.comFinally, we would like to announce to you that we are currently working on our website and it should be operational in about two weeks. We are getting assistance from other Nigerians in its construction. This kind of contribution makes a difference because the money saved will be enough to cater for the logistics involved in one additional demonstration. When functional, the website will provide a forum for discussionand links to local chapters of ChangNigeria Movement as soon as they are formed. It will also provide information on how to organize demonstrations, planned activities, tracking of the movement of politicians for the purpose of demonstrating at functions attended by them and in front of their houses. If all we can do is stop one of them like the Niger state governor, you imagine the savings.

For your information, there will be more demonstrations in London, England in the month of December 2008. The exact dates will be announced later, although they will commence around the middle of the month. We are inviting you to come out and send a message to these thieving banks. For too long, they have taken your quietness for approval. We will be counting on your support. Do this for the teeming masses of Nigerians who are daily dying from diseases, insecurity, unemployment and other wants in a country that should be flowing with milk and honey. If there is anyone out there who is interested in doing their own demonstrations, we will be willing to link you with the resources we have around the world. All you have todo is let us know the details. Everyone must get involved in this struggle.

I will let you go at this point. Bear in mind that we do not have exclusive knowledge in terms of how to change Nigeria. Everyone of us must make a decision on how we want to contribute. If you do not like our technique, you find your own way. Afterall, we are all pursuing the liberation of Nigeria. We will work with any group that is serious and not out the conspire with the enemies - the political elites. As always, your suggestings are welcome. Have a great day and keep the candle burning. Our liberation is around the corner.

Regards,

Majek Adega

ChangeNigeria

Toronto, Canada