President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday, September 14, 2026, announced the approval for the prompt release of funds to the Regional Development Commissions.
This was as the President tasked the Commissions to develop clear, concise, attainable and fundable programmes, and pointedly warned against the execution of white elephant projects.
Tinubu, who announced the granting of the approval while declaring open the first North Central Stakeholders Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission in Abuja, assured that the Federal Government would continue to provide the political and financial backing for the commissions to enable them execute projects capable of unlocking the economic and industrial potential of the country.
He however, warned the boards and managements against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and ethnicisation of government operations, stressing that such acts will not be tolerated.
The President said; “The government will not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable. The boards and managements of the commissions are warned against corruption, waste and the execution of projects that do not directly benefit the people”.
President Tinubu, who was represented at the Summit by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, challenged the commissions not to depend solely on government funding, but should explore alternative sources of financing, including public-private partnerships, donor funding and development financing.
The President therefore directed the SGF , to ensure that all funds accruable to the Commissions are released as and when due, saying that the creation of the Regional Development Commissions was part of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development across the country to specifically address longstanding development gaps.
Tinubu however, said that the commissions were not established to replace, duplicate or usurp the functions of any tier of government, stressing that rather, it was a way of looking at why development gaps still existed and trying to close them up for the benefit of our people.
The President further said; “The commissions are expected to focus on development priorities capable of unlocking the potential of their respective regions while providing interconnectivity for the country”.
Tinubu listed roads, rail, air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and health among the sectors requiring attention.
According to Tinubu; “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 also charged the Federal Ministry of Regional Development to ensure that the commissions operated within the Regional Development Policy Document, while the legislature provides the necessary oversight.
Speaking on the North Central region, President Tinubu noted that the area has enormous potential in agriculture, food production and agro-processing, solid minerals development and processing, industrial development, peace and security.
Tinubu also further said that the region had operated below its potential for too long, thus urged stakeholders to use the opportunity of the Stakeholders’ Summit to chart a new development trajectory.
He specifically acknowledged the security challenges confronting the North Central, but quick to add that the Federal Government had intensified surveillance and intelligence gathering, established more formations, deployed additional personnel, increased the prosecution of criminals and supported dialogue and reconciliation.
Tinubu therefore urged the NCDC to complement the government’s efforts to stabilise the region, emphasizing that development could only take place in an atmosphere of peace and security.
The President noted that the theme of the summit; “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region,” was appropriate, stressing that it provided an opportunity for stakeholders to develop a consensus-driven plan for the region.
Tinubu therefore urged participants to scrutinise the proposed development plan and ensure that it reflected the aspirations of the people and also align with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
He also warned against allowing the summit to become another platform where ideas were discussed and reports produced without implementation, stressing that the NCDC 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.
In the words of Tinubu; “The NCDC should show a better example by following through to implementation”.
