President Tinubu directs the SGF to ensure regional commissions receive approved funds as and when due, while warning against corruption and waste.
President Bola Tinubu has directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to ensure the timely release of funds due to Nigeria’s regional development commissions, while warning their boards against corruption, waste and politically motivated projects.
Tinubu gave the directive on Monday while declaring open the first North Central Stakeholders’ Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) in Abuja.
The summit is themed “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region.”
Akume represented the President at the event, where Tinubu said the Federal Government would continue to provide political and financial backing to the NCDC and other regional development commissions to implement projects capable of unlocking economic and industrial potential 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.
“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,” he said.
Tinubu warns against waste
While directing the release of funds, Tinubu warned the commissions against becoming conduits for the waste of public resources.
He said corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and misuse of government resources would not be tolerated, adding that the government would sanction officials found culpable.
The President also declared that the era of white-elephant projects was over and urged the commissions to prioritise projects that deliver measurable benefits to citizens.
He said the commissions were not established to replace or duplicate the functions of state and local governments or existing federal institutions.
Instead, he said, they were created to identify and close persistent development gaps across the country.
Tinubu identified infrastructure, rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare among the areas the commissions should prioritise.
The President also urged the commissions to look beyond government allocations and explore public-private partnerships, donor funding and development financing to support major projects.
North Central seeks value addition
Speaking on the development potential of the region, Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, Abdullahi Sule, said the North Central possessed the human and natural resources needed to drive economic growth.
Sule called for greater investment in processing and value addition, particularly in the mining and agricultural sectors.
“When you are mining in North Central, you must also process in North Central,” he said.
He cited cement production in Kogi State and lithium processing in Nasarawa as examples of how processing raw materials locally could create greater economic value.
Sule said Nasarawa had more than 400 steel licences when he became governor in 2019 but lacked a processing plant despite its mineral resources. He said the state now hosts the country’s largest and second-largest lithium processing plants.
The governor also highlighted the region’s strength in rice, sesame and other agricultural production, arguing that the challenge was no longer the availability of resources but the quality of leadership and implementation.
“What do we need more? We need thinkers. We need implementers. We need people who understand what it means to lead,” he said.
NCDC unveils 20-year development vision
The NCDC’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Cyril Yiltsen Tsenyil, said the commission was created to coordinate regional development, mobilise resources and build partnerships rather than take over the responsibilities of the six states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the commission’s proposed 20-year plan would focus on developing regional economic corridors, processing agricultural and mineral resources, improving infrastructure and creating opportunities for young people.
The NCDC had announced ahead of the summit that the two-day meeting would bring together political leaders, government institutions, traditional rulers, technocrats, private-sector players, youth and women groups, persons with disabilities and development partners to shape the region’s long-term development agenda.
Tinubu urged stakeholders to ensure the plan translates into implementation rather than becoming another report that gathers dust.
The directive on funding, coupled with the President’s warning against waste, places greater responsibility on the regional commissions to show that public resources are being converted into tangible development across their respective regions.
