Southern Governors Should Learn To Be Their Brother’s Keeper – Umahi

Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has come out to blast his colleagues on the platform of the Southern Governors’ Forum over their resolution supporting the collection of the Value Added Tax by states.

He recently revealed this while speaking on Channels TV, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, as the Chairman of the South-East Governors’ Forum, he’d like to make it clear that Ebonyi won’t pursue VAT collection or implement the decision of the forum made at a meeting in Enugu on Thursday.

He added that whatever resolution of the forum does not reflect his stand on the issue at all.

His words, “In any gathering, the minority will have their say and the majority will have their way. For example, there was an issue that came up. I’m not sure it is clear to some of our colleagues on the issue of VAT but it is very clear to me.”

“We (Ebonyi) took a stand as a state with our leaders on the issue of the VAT war that is going and so my deputy carried it on to say that this is what my governor is saying and this is what the state is saying and he went ahead to explain with some other deputies that represented their governors.”

“But together they were in the minority and it didn’t stop the majority from coming up with their communiqué. When it comes up to implementation and voicing out, I will continue to say: this is where is I stand; if it is a choice, I will choose what would benefit my state.”

“When they (Southern governors) say that this VAT collection is part of true restructuring, I said I never believe in total restructuring; I believe in administrative restructuring.”

“We have to be our brothers’ keeper; we have to see how we can grow the economies of the weakest states, otherwise, we will breed insecurity in those states.”

“There is no way in a relationship that you will get 100 per cent of what you put in, it doesn’t work that way.”

“I have said that my state would not be viable and I will continue to say that more than 30 other states would not be viable; we should not break the states.”

“Whatever thing we are doing, we have to think about the nation first. Let’s tarry a while and see how we can pass this river and then we can come to the fact of who is right and who is wrong.”

“True federalism is not done in a day. If we want to do a restructuring, we have to have a gradual process to do that.”