Governors of Nigeria’s southern states, cutting across party lines, have rejected the 3% and 5% host community funds passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives in the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. They have also opposed the recommendation that a 30% share of the profit made by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, be used for oil exploration.
These were part of the resolutions at the conclusion of its meeting, with Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the host.
The Governors have also resolved that the next president in 2023 should emerge from the south.
It is the second meeting of the southern governors after the Asaba declaration which banned open grazing in all the states of the south, a decision that was challenged by the presidency.
As a follow-up on the Asaba declaration, the southern governors have also set a September 2021 timeline for the promulgation of a legislative framework prohibiting open grazing.
The Governors have also asked monies deducted from the federation account for the Nigeria Police Security Trust Fund should be distributed among the states to deal with the security challenges in their domain.