By Daruba Farouk | National News
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to ensure the immediate and timely release of all funds accruable to Nigeria’s regional development commissions.
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.”
Represented by Akume at the summit, Tinubu said the establishment of regional development commissions was a strategic component of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at accelerating development across the country.
He said the commissions must receive the necessary political and financial backing to implement projects capable of unlocking the economic and industrial potential of 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.
“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 said.
However, the President urged the commissions not to depend entirely on government funding, advising them to explore public-private partnerships, donor support and development financing to execute transformative projects.
Tinubu said the commissions were expected to prioritise critical sectors including rail transportation, air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare.
He also warned the boards and management of the commissions against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and the misuse of public resources.
According to him, the Federal Government would not tolerate such practices and would sanction officials found culpable.
The President further clarified that the regional development commissions were not created to take over or duplicate the responsibilities of state and local governments or existing federal institutions.
Tinubu specifically tasked the North Central Development Commission with supporting efforts to tackle insecurity in the region, stressing that sustainable development could only thrive in a peaceful and stable environment.
Speaking at the summit, Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, Abdullahi Sule, said the region had the human and natural resources required to become a major driver of Nigeria’s economic growth.
Sule identified agriculture, mining and industrial production as some of the region’s major economic strengths, but stressed the need for greater emphasis on processing and value addition rather than merely extracting and exporting raw materials.
“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 create jobs, expand economic opportunities and strengthen the region’s contribution to Nigeria’s development.
Sule disclosed that Nasarawa State had more than 400 steel licences when he assumed office in 2019 but lacked a processing plant despite its mineral wealth.
He said the situation had changed, with the state now hosting 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 major requirement for transforming the region’s enormous potential into sustainable development was leadership capable of thinking strategically and implementing long-term 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 economic reforms of the Tinubu administration, arguing that the policies had increased the 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.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Cyril Tsenyil, said the commission was established 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 economic corridors, agricultural and mineral-resource processing, infrastructure development and the creation of opportunities for young people.
He said the North Central region should aspire to become one of Africa’s most competitive agricultural regions rather than remain known merely as Nigeria’s agricultural hub.
