President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate release of funds approved for the country’s regional development commissions.

The President gave the directive on Monday at the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) Summit, themed “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic Infrastructure and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region.”

Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, Tinubu said the regional development commissions were established as part of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development across the country.

He directed Akume to ensure that funds accruing to the commissions were released promptly to enable them to execute their mandates.

“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, however, urged the commissions to explore alternative sources of funding, including public-private partnerships, donor support and development financing, rather than depend solely on government allocations.

He said priority should be given to projects in rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare.

The President 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.

According to Tinubu, the regional commissions were not established to take over or duplicate the responsibilities of state and local governments or existing federal institutions.

He further charged the NCDC to support efforts to tackle insecurity in the North Central, stressing that sustainable development could only thrive in a peaceful and secure 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 drive economic transformation.

Sule urged stakeholders to move beyond the extraction of raw materials by investing in local processing and value addition, particularly in the agricultural and mining sectors.

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

The governor cited the establishment of a cement factory in Kogi State as an example of how local processing could boost industrialisation and economic development.

He 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.

Sule said the situation had changed, noting that 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,” he said.

He said the region required visionary thinkers and capable implementers to develop and execute 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,” Sule added.

The governor also commended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, saying they had increased revenues available to the federal, state 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’s mandate was to coordinate regional development, mobilise resources and build partnerships without replacing the six state governments and the Federal Capital Territory.

Tsenyil said the commission’s 20-year development plan would focus on regional economic corridors, agricultural and mineral processing, infrastructure development and job creation for young people.

He added that the North Central should aspire to become one of Africa’s most competitive agricultural regions rather than merely being recognised as Nigeria’s agricultural hub.