Tinubu Orders Timely Release of Regional Commissions’ Funds, Warns Against Waste

Senator George Akume 
Secretary to the Government of the Federation 

“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

President Bola Tinubu has directed the timely release of funds accruable to the Regional Development Commissions, warning their boards and managements against corruption, waste, politicization and the execution of projects that do not directly benefit Nigerians.

The president gave the directive yesterday while declaring open the maiden North Central Stakeholders Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) in Abuja.

Tinubu, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, said the Federal Government would continue to provide political and financial support to the commissions to enable them implement projects capable of unlocking the economic and industrial potential of 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.

The president, however, advised the commissions against relying solely on government funding, urging them to explore public-private partnerships, donor funding and development financing, where permitted by law and government guidelines.

He said the creation of the Regional Development Commissions was part of the Renewed Hope Agenda aimed at accelerating development and addressing longstanding gaps across the country.

According to him, the commissions were not established to replace, duplicate or usurp the functions of any tier of government, but to complement existing efforts by identifying and addressing development deficits.

“Rather, it is our way of looking at why development gaps still exist and trying to close them up for the benefit of our people,” he said.

Tinubu urged the commissions to concentrate on priorities capable of unlocking the potential of their respective regions and strengthening interconnectivity across the country.

He identified roads, rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and health as areas requiring urgent attention.

The president also warned the commissions against embarking on white elephant projects, stressing the need for clear, concise, attainable and fundable programmes.

“The era of white elephant projects is over and there is no excuse for the Commissions to become another conduit for wasting public funds,” he said.

He directed the Ministry of Regional Development to ensure that the commissions operate within the Regional Development Policy Document, while the legislature was charged with providing the necessary oversight.

Tinubu further warned the boards and managements against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and ethnicisation of government operations, saying those found culpable would be sanctioned.

Turning to the North Central, the president said the region possessed enormous potential in agriculture, food production and agro-processing, solid minerals development and processing, industrial development, peace and security.

He said the region had operated below its potential for too long and urged stakeholders to use the summit to chart a new development trajectory.

On insecurity, Tinubu said the Federal Government had intensified surveillance and intelligence gathering, established additional formations, deployed more personnel, increased the prosecution of criminals and supported dialogue and reconciliation efforts.

He urged the NCDC to complement these efforts, stressing that development could only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and security.

The president described the theme of the summit, “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region,” as timely, saying it offered stakeholders an opportunity to develop a consensus-driven plan for the region.

He urged participants to critically scrutinise the proposed development plan to ensure that it reflected the aspirations of the people and aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Tinubu also cautioned against allowing the summit to become another forum where ideas were discussed and reports produced without implementation.

“This Summit should not end up as one of those platforms where ideas are ventilated and reports generated only to be left dusting on the shelves. The NCDC should show a better example by following through to implementation,” he said.