Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that the Federal Government has granted Vaswani Brothers import waiver totalling N50billion through their company, Stallion.

He explained that “As of today (September 15, 2011) I understand that that the company they have, Stallion, must have enjoyed over N50 billion ($316m) in waivers and things they’ve brought in corruptly.”

He said that as a result of this waiver, the country is losing a lot of revenue. “That means a loss for Nigeria and a discouragement for the production of rice locally. The rice is dumped, and there’s no way that Nigeria can produce rice at the price of the rice that has been dumped,” he said.

Obasanjo declared this in an interview with The Africa Report, an online medium, in Abeokuta. The interview was published yesterday in the online medium’s website even though it was conducted on September 15, 2011, some few hours before the former president met in secret with Boko Haram families in Maiduguri.

The former president explained that he had to deport the Vaswani brothers, who he described as enemies of economic reform, out of the country to protect the country’s economy. “Who are the enemies of reform? Those who have special interests like the Vaswani brothers, who were importing rice. They are very, very corrupt. Not only have I got to move in to protect my own team, but I have to move in to get the Vaswanis out,” Obasanjo said.

He said that for President Goodluck Jonathan to execute any economic reforms in the country, he has to step on toes as well as protect his lieutenants from the influence of corrupt cartels. “Of course, you can’t do these things without stepping on toes, and there are only two people that can protect you: God and your political head. Ngozi [Okonjo-Iweala], (Charles) Soludo, ‘Oby’ (Obiageli Ezekwesili), [Nuhu] Ribadu and [Nasir] el-Rufa’i, all of them had one problem or another. I had to protect them from one thing or another,” the former president said.

Ladipodeal:

He said that for President Goodluck Jonathan to execute any economic reforms in the country, he has to step on toes as well as protect his lieutenants from the influence of corrupt cartels. “Of course, you can’t do these things without stepping on toes, and there are only two people that can protect you: God and your political head. Ngozi [Okonjo-Iweala], (Charles) Soludo, ‘Oby’ (Obiageli Ezekwesili), [Nuhu] Ribadu and [Nasir] el-Rufa’i, all of them had one problem or another. I had to protect them from one thing or another,” the former president said.

i do not like obj, but i find it difficult to hate him for these kind of statement he makes