Southern governors resolve to collect VAT, insist on power shift

Nigeria’s southern governors rose from their meeting in Enugu on Thursday with a firm resolution to implement the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) in the various states.

The governors also insisted on having the next President of the country emerge from the south, in order to ensure equity, justice and fairness in 2023.

Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu, read the communiqué from the meeting.

He said the meeting was a follow-up to the earlier meetings held in Asaba, the Delta State capital and Alausa, Lagos State, where the governors reached conclusions to ban open grazing to curb increasing farmer-herders’ crisis, restructuring of the country and establishment of state police.

Akeredolu said that the collection of VAT by the state governments would go a long way in boosting their economic growth and development unlike when the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), collecting the tax.

Also, the forum expressed satisfaction with the states in the region that have successfully implemented the anti-open grazing law, in line with the decision reached during the meeting held in Delta State.

READ: Governors insist on southern President, set deadline for open grazing ban

The forum called on other states in the region that are yet to implement the decision to do so expeditiously as according to Akeredolu, it represents the aspirations of the people in the region.

The governors present were Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom, Babajide Sanwo Olu of Lagos State and Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta.

Others were Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, Adegboyega Oyetola of Osun, Douye Diri of Bayelsa and Dapo Abiodun of Ogun.

The deputy governors present were Mr Bisi Egbeyemi of Ekiti, Mr Rauf Olaniyan of Oyo, Dr Kelechi Igwe of Ebonyi, Chief Ude Oko-Chukwu of Abia, Mr Philip Shuaibu of Edo, Prof. Ivara Esu of Cross River and Prof. Placid Njoku of Imo.

Anti-Open Grazing law will be enforced vigorously – Akeredolu tells Miyetti Allah