By Nkechi Eze
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the timely release of funds accruable to Nigeria’s Regional Development Commissions while warning their boards and managements against corruption, waste and projects that fail to deliver tangible benefits to the people.
According to an official statement signed by Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Tinubu issued the directive on Monday while declaring open the first North Central Stakeholders Development Summit organised by the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) in Abuja.
Represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume (CON), the President said the Federal Government would continue to provide political and financial support to the NCDC and other regional commissions to enable them 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,” he said.
Tinubu, however, warned that the availability of government funding must not become a licence for wasteful spending, charging the commissions to prioritise projects with direct and measurable impact on the people.
“The era of white elephant projects is over and there is no excuse for the Commissions to become another conduit for wasting public funds,” the President said.
He also warned the boards and managements against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and ethnicisation of government operations, stressing that anyone found culpable would face sanctions.
Tinubu explained that the Regional Development Commissions were created as part of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development and address longstanding gaps across the country.
He stressed that the commissions were not intended to replace, duplicate or usurp the responsibilities of existing tiers of government.
“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.
The President urged the commissions to develop clear, attainable and properly funded programmes focused on critical areas including roads, rail and air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and healthcare.
While directing the commissions to make judicious use of government resources, Tinubu also encouraged them to seek alternative sources of funding through public-private partnerships, donor support and development financing, where permitted by law and government guidelines.
He charged the Ministry of Regional Development to ensure that the commissions operated within the Regional Development Policy Document, while urging the legislature to provide the necessary oversight.
On the North Central, Tinubu said the region possessed significant potential in agriculture, food production and agro-processing, solid minerals development and processing, industrialisation, peace and security.
He said the region had remained below its potential for too long and urged stakeholders to use the summit to establish a new development trajectory.
The President also acknowledged the security challenges confronting the region, saying 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.
He urged the NCDC to complement these efforts, stressing that meaningful development could only take place in an atmosphere of peace and security.
Tinubu described the summit’s theme, “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic, Infrastructural and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region,” as timely, urging participants to scrutinise the proposed plan and ensure that it reflected the aspirations of the people.
He also cautioned stakeholders 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.
