President Bola Tinubu has directed Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to ensure the timely release of funds due to Nigeria’s regional development commissions.
The directive was announced on Monday, September 14, 2026, at the maiden North Central Stakeholders’ Development Summit in Abuja.
Representing Tinubu, Akume said the commissions were created under the Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate regional development and unlock economic opportunities.
The President said the Federal Government would provide the political and financial backing needed for major projects, while urging the commissions to supplement public funding with private investment, donor support and development financing.
He identified transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, education, healthcare and human capital development as priority areas.
Tinubu warned the commissions against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and misuse of public resources, saying violators would be sanctioned.
He also stressed that the commissions must complement rather than duplicate the functions of federal, state and local governments.
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The President tasked the North Central Development Commission with supporting efforts to tackle insecurity, noting that sustainable development requires a stable environment.
The summit is themed “The Great Leap Forward: A 20-Year Economic Infrastructure and Social Development Plan for the North Central Region.”
The initiative builds on Nigeria’s experience with region-focused development agencies, including the Niger Delta Development Commission, established in 2000. In July 2024, Tinubu approved a ₦1 trillion financing facility for the NDDC to accelerate development projects in the Niger Delta.
Nasarawa State Governor and Chairman of the North Central Governors’ Forum, Abdullahi Sule, called for greater local processing of the region’s agricultural and mineral resources.
Sule cited cement production in Kogi and lithium processing in Nasarawa as examples of local value addition. He said Nasarawa had more than 400 steel licences when he assumed office in 2019 but no processing plant, adding that the state now hosts Nigeria’s largest and second-largest lithium processing plants.
He also credited the Federal Government’s economic reforms with improving revenues available to the three tiers of government.
Earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Cyril Tsenyil, said the commission would coordinate regional development, mobilise resources and build partnerships without taking over the functions of the six states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said its 20-year blueprint would focus on infrastructure, economic corridors, agricultural and mineral processing, and opportunities for young people.