Southern Governors met in Enugu on Thursday, declaring that
it is within their purview to collect the Value Added Tax, VAT.
This is coming amid row between the Rivers State Government
and the Federal Government, a case that is now subject of litigation.
The governors also reaffirmed their stand on open-grazing
ban, urging every State in the region to quickly pass a law to that regards.
A communiqué after the meeting was read by Chairman of the
Forum and Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Also present were Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta, Babajide Sanwolu,
Lagos, Gbega Oyetola, Osun, Emmanuel Udom, Akwa Ibom, Nyesom Wike, Rivers, Dapo
Abiodun, Ogun and the host Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State.
Deputy Governors present included Rauf Olaniyan, Oyo, Bisi
Egbeyemi, Ekiti, Philip Shuaib, Edo, Ude Okochukwu, Abia, Kelechi Igwe, Ebonyi,
Placid Njoku, Imo.
The communiqué read in full:
The Nigerian Southern Governors’ Forum at its meeting of
today, Thursday, 16th September 2021 held in the Government House, Enuqu, Enugu
State reviewea tne state or the nation and the progress of implementation of
the decisions reached in her previous meetings and further
resolved as follows:
1. Expressed satisfaction with the rate at which the States
in the Southern Nigeria are enacting or amending the Anti- Open Grazing Laws
which align with the uniform template and aspiration of Southern Governors and
encouraged the
States that are yet to enact this law to do so
expeditiously.
2. Encouraged the full operationalization of already agreed
regional security outfits; which would meet, share intelligence and
collaborate, to ensure the security and safety of the region.
3. Reaffirmed its earlier commitment to Structural and
fiscal federalism as resolved at the inaugural meeting of the
Forum held on Tuesday, 11th May 2021 at Asaba, Delta State
and emphasized the need for the Southern States to leverage the legislative
competence of their respective State Houses of Assembiy as well as
representation in the National assembly to pursue its inclusion in the Nigeran
Constitution through the ongoing constitutional amendment.
4. Folowing from paragraph 3″ above, the meeting resolved to
support the position that the collection of VAT falls within the powers of the
States.
5. Expressed satisfaction with the handling of issues around
the Petroleum Industry ACT (PIA) and ownership of Nigerian National Petroleum
Corporation (NNPC) by the larger Nigerian Governors’ Forum.
6. Reiterated their earlier position that the next President
of Nigeria must come from the Southern part of Nigeria in line with politics of
equity, justice and fairness.
7. The Forum thanked the host Governor, Rt. Hon.
IfeanyiUgwuanyi, and chose Rivers State as the next host for the Southern
Governors’ Forum meeting in November 2021.
Arakunrin Oluwarotimí O. Akeredólu; SAN Governor, Ondo State and Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum.
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayAdvertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com