172 
The 17 southern states’ governors rose from a meeting in Enugu State on Thursday with a decision to back states’ collection of Value Added Tax, VAT, and reiterated its position that the next President of the country should come from the South, among other decisions.
They took the stand in Enugu, after previous meetings in Asaba, Delta State, and Lagos, where they dwelt on national issues, release of Nnamdi Kanu, ban on open grazing and the southern presidency slot.
At the meeting held in the Government House, Enugu, on Thursday, the governors reviewed the state of the nation and the progress of implementation of the decisions reached in her previous meetings and arrived at some decisions.
They resolved to support the position that the collection of VAT falls within the powers of the states.
Also, the governors encouraged the full operationalisation of already agreed regional security outfits; which would meet, share intelligence and collaborate, to ensure the security and safety of the region.
They reaffirmed their earlier commitment to fiscal federalism as resolved at the inaugural meeting of the Forum held on Tuesday, May 11 at Asaba, and emphasised the need for the southern states to leverage the legislative competence of their respective state Houses of Assembly as well as representation in the National Assembly to pursue inclusion its in the Nigerian Constitution through the ongoing constitutional amendment.
