Governors in the southern part of Nigeria have advocated for the practice of true fiscal federalism,throwing their full weight behind both Rivers and Lagos State Governments who have taken over the collection of the Value Added Tax (VAT) from the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
Chairman of the Southern Nigeria Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State read the position of the governors in a Communique issued at the end of their meeting held on Thursday in Enugu,the Enugu State Capital, saying collection of VAT falls within the powers of the States.
They also re-affirmed their position for the return of the presidency to the South in 2023 while commending the Southern States for enacting anti-open grazing law
The governor's urged them to implement the law to the letter.
The communique reads in parts: “The meeting expressed satisfaction with the rate at which the states in the Southern are enacting or amending the anti-open grazing law, which aligns with the uniform template and aspirations of the Southern governors and encourage the states that are yet enact the law to do so expeditiously.
“The meeting agreed to encourage the full operationalisation of already agreed regional security outfits, which will meet, share intelligence and collaborate to ensure the security and safety of the region.
“Following from the above, the meeting resolved to support the position that collection of VAT falls within the powers of the States
“The meeting expressed satisfaction with the army of issues around the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and ownership of NNPC by the larger Nigerian Governors Forum
“The meeting reiterated its 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.”
The forum had earlier held two previous meetings in Asaba, Delta State and later in Lagos State
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