Tinubu Orders Timely Release of Funds to Regional Development Commissions, Warns Boards Against Mismanagement

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate and regular release of statutory funds to the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) and other regional development commissions across the country, while issuing a stern warning against financial recklessness.

The directive was delivered on behalf of the President by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, during the first-ever North Central Stakeholders’ Development Summit held in Abuja. The high-level gathering also marked the official unveiling of the region’s comprehensive 20-year Economic, Infrastructural, and Social Development Plan.

President Tinubu noted that adequate and timely funding is critical if regional bodies are to successfully execute strategic projects capable of unlocking the unique industrial and agricultural potential of their respective zones. However, the President tempered his financial commitment with a strong warning against corruption and administrative inefficiency.

“There is no excuse for the commissions to become another conduit pipe for wasting public funds,” Tinubu cautioned, maintaining that the era of abandoned or poorly executed white-elephant projects has officially come to an end. He emphasized that the boards and management teams must prioritize high-impact initiatives that directly touch the lives of ordinary citizens.

To ensure long-term sustainability, the President challenged the leadership of the commissions to look beyond federal allocations. He urged them to aggressively mobilize private sector capital, explore Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), and tap into international donor funding and specialized development finance.

Reiterating the underlying philosophy of the initiative, the Federal Government stressed that the regional commissions were created under the Renewed Hope Agenda to bridge persistent infrastructure and social deficits, specifically designed to complement rather than duplicate or replace existing state and local government structures.

Earlier at the summit, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Dr. Cyril Tsenyil, presented the region’s 20-year blueprint. Tsenyil explained that the framework aims to transition the region from a collection of fragmented states into a unified, highly competitive economic corridor centered on agro-industrial processing, integrated transportation networks, and shared regional prosperity.