…Insist next president must come from South
Governors from the southern part of the country have expressed their support for the collection of Value-Added Tax (VAT) by state governments.
The governors stated these in a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Enugu, the Enugu State capital, and signed by the Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Akeredolu said that the governors resolved and affirmed the position that the collection of VAT fell within the powers of State governments.
The forum also charged governors to expedite action on the anti-open grazing Bill.
The meeting reaffirmed its earlier commitments to fiscal federalism and emphasised the need to pursue its inclusion in the Nigerian Constitution through the on-going constitutional amendment”, he said.
Akeredolu urged States in the South to leverage the competence of their Houses of Assembly and representation at the National Assembly to pursue the goal.
He said that the meeting reviewed the state of the nation and the progress made in the implementation of the ban on open grazing of cattle in the southern region.
Akeredolu said the governors were satisfied with the handling of issues surrounding the Petroleum Industry Act and ownership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC), by the larger Nigerian Governors Forum.
“The meeting reiterated its earlier position that the next president of Nigeria will come from the south of Nigeria in line with the politics of equity, justice and fairness,” Akeredolu said.
The meeting was attended by nine governors and seven deputy governors.
The governors at the meeting were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Nyesom Wike (Rivers) Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun), Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta) and Doye Diri (Bayelsa) and Dapo Abiodun (Ogun).
The deputy governors in attendance were – Placid Njoku (Imo), Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi (Ekiti), Phillip Shuaibu (Edo), Rauf Olaniyan (Oyo), Prof. Evara Esu (Cross River), Ude Okochukwu (Abia) and Kelechi Igwe (Ebonyi).
Anambra was not represented at the meeting.
The next meeting of the governors will hold in Rivers State, in November.
