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

Akume, who represented the President at the summit, said the establishment of regional development commissions was part of the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development across the country.

Speaking on behalf of the President, Akume said the Federal Government would continue to provide the necessary political and financial support for the commissions to undertake projects capable of unlocking the country’s economic potential.

“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.”

The President, however, urged the regional commissions not to depend solely on government funding, advising them to explore public-private partnerships, donor funding and development financing to execute transformative projects.

According to him, the commissions should prioritise major projects covering rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare.

Tinubu also warned the boards and management of the commissions against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and the misuse of public resources.

“Such actions will not be tolerated, and government will not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable,” he warned.

The President stressed that the regional commissions were not established to replace or duplicate the functions of state and local governments or existing federal institutions.

He said the North Central Development Commission should also support efforts to tackle security challenges in the region, noting that meaningful development could only take place in a stable environment.

NORTH CENTRAL MUST PROCESS ITS MINERALS — SULE

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

Sule said the North Central had demonstrated its capacity in agriculture, mining and industrial production, but stressed the need to move from the extraction of raw materials to processing and value addition within the region.

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

He cited the establishment of a cement factory in Kogi State as an example of how local processing could transform the region’s economy.

Sule said Nasarawa State had more than 400 steel licences when he assumed office in 2019 but lacked a processing plant despite its abundant mineral resources.

According to him, the state has since become home to 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.

The governor said the region needed leaders capable of developing and implementing long-term development plans.

“What do we need more? We need thinkers. We need implementers. We need people who understand what it means to lead,” he said.

Sule also commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, saying the policies had increased revenues available to the Federal Government, states and local governments.

“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.

NCDC TO DRIVE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Cyril Tsenyil, said the commission’s mandate was to coordinate regional development, mobilise resources and build partnerships rather than replace the six state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

Tsenyil said the commission’s 20-year development plan would focus on developing regional economic corridors, processing agricultural and mineral resources, improving infrastructure and creating opportunities for young people.

He said the region should aspire to become one of Africa’s most competitive agricultural regions rather than merely being known as Nigeria’s agricultural hub.