Tinubu backs regional commissions with full funding

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to ensure the timely release of funds approved for regional development commissions.

Tinubu gave the directive on Monday at the North Central Development Commission Summit, themed “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic Infrastructure and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region.”

Represented by Akume, the President said the commissions were established under his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development across the country.

“Government will continue to give the NCDC and other Regional Development Commissions the political and financial backing to embark on key projects that will unlock the economic and industrial potentials of the nation,” he said.

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“I therefore direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to ensure that all funds accruable to the Commissions are released as and when due.”

Tinubu, however, urged the commissions to complement government funding with public-private partnerships, donor support and development financing.

He said their priorities should include rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare.

The President also warned the commissions’ boards and management against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and misuse of public resources, saying offenders would face sanctions.

He stressed that the commissions were not created to replace or duplicate the functions of state and local governments or existing federal institutions.

Tinubu also tasked the North Central Development Commission with supporting efforts to address insecurity in the region, noting that development could not thrive without stability.

Meanwhile, Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, Abdullahi Sule, said the region had the human and natural resources needed to drive economic growth.

Sule called for greater local processing of the region’s agricultural and mineral resources, stressing that raw materials extracted in the North Central should also be processed there.

“When you are mining in North Central, you must also process in North Central,” he said.

He cited the growth of lithium processing in Nasarawa and cement production in Kogi as examples of the economic benefits of local value addition.

Sule said the region needed leaders capable of developing and implementing long-term development plans, while commending the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms for increasing revenues available to governments at all levels.

Earlier, the CEO of the North Central Development Commission, Cyril Tsenyil, said the commission would coordinate regional development and mobilise resources and partnerships without replacing the six state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said its 20-year development plan would focus on economic corridors, agricultural and mineral processing, infrastructure and opportunities for young people, with the goal of making the North Central one of Africa’s most competitive agricultural regions.