President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate release of funds approved for Nigeria’s regional development commissions to enable them to implement projects aimed at accelerating development across the country.
The President gave the directive on Monday at the North Central Development Commission Summit, held under the theme, “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic Infrastructure and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region.”
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, who represented Tinubu at the event, said the regional commissions were established as part of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He said the Federal Government would continue to provide the commissions with the necessary political and financial support to deliver projects capable of unlocking economic opportunities in their respective regions.
“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,” Tinubu said.
He added, “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.”
However, the President urged the commissions to look beyond government funding by attracting private-sector investment, donor support and development financing for major projects.
He said their priorities should include rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare.
Tinubu also cautioned the management and governing boards of the commissions against corruption, political interference, marginalisation and the diversion of public resources.
“Such actions will not be tolerated, and government will not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable,” he warned.
The President clarified that the commissions were established to complement, rather than duplicate, the responsibilities of state and local governments or existing Federal Government agencies.
He also charged the North Central Development Commission to contribute to tackling insecurity in the region, stressing that sustainable development would be difficult without a secure environment.
Speaking at the summit, the Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, Abdullahi Sule, said the region had sufficient human and natural resources to drive economic growth.
Sule called for greater investment in processing and value addition, particularly in agriculture and mining, rather than exporting raw materials.
“When you are mining in North Central, you must also process in North Central,” he said.
The governor cited developments in the cement and lithium industries as examples of how local processing could create jobs and boost economic activity.
According to him, Nasarawa State had more than 400 steel licences when he assumed office in 2019 but lacked a processing facility despite its mineral wealth.
He said the state now hosts the country’s largest and second-largest lithium processing plants.
“The North Central is the home of Benue cement. The North Central is the home of rice production. The North Central is the home of sesame production. So we have it all. Whatever it is that we are looking for, we have it,” Sule said.
He said the region required leaders with the vision and capacity to develop and execute long-term development programmes.
“What do we need more? We need thinkers. We need implementers. We need people who understand what it means to lead,” he stated.
Sule also praised the economic reforms of the Tinubu administration, saying they had increased revenues available to the three tiers of government.
“Today, we are paying salaries without borrowing money from the bank. Even if you hate him, you cannot hate his policies. Even if you disagree with him, you cannot disagree with his policies. And that is the only way we can build,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Cyril Tsenyil, said the commission was established to coordinate development, mobilise resources and build partnerships across the region.
Tsenyil stressed that the commission was not intended to replace the six state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said the commission’s 20-year development plan would target regional economic corridors, agricultural and mineral-resource processing, infrastructure development and job opportunities for young people.
He added that the North Central should aim to become one of Africa’s most competitive agricultural regions by moving beyond its current description as Nigeria’s agricultural hub.
