Tinubu directs timely release of N1.3 trillion Regional Commissions’ funds, warns against corruption

President Bola Tinubu on Monday directed the timely release of funds due to the Regional Development Commissions, amounting to about N1.3 trillion in statutory transfers, according to the 2026 Appropriation Act.

In a statement issued by Yomi Odunuga, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, the President also warned the respective boards and managements of the commissions against “corruption, waste and the execution of projects that do not directly benefit the people.”

Tinubu gave the directive at the opening session of the first North Central Stakeholders Development Summit, organised by the North Central Development Commission in Abuja on Monday.

What they are saying

The President, who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume (CON), assured that the Federal Government would continue to provide political and financial backing to the commissions to enable them to execute projects.

He highlighted the government’s plans to unlock the economic and industrial potential of the country.

He, however, advised the commissions to also explore alternative sources of financing, including public-private partnerships, donor funding and development financing.

• “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 maintained that the creation of the Regional Development Commissions was part of his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to accelerate development across the country and address longstanding development gaps.
• “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 added.
• He pointed to roads, rail, air transportation, industrialisation, security, investment, human capital development, education and health as some of the sectors requiring attention.

Tinubu charged the Ministry of Regional Development with ensuring that the commissions operated within the Regional Development Policy Document, while warning the boards and managements against corruption, marginalisation, politicisation and ethnicisation of government operations.

• “Such actions will not be tolerated and government will not hesitate to sanction anyone found culpable,” the President said.
• For his part, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stressed that the administration’s priority was to translate the gains of “difficult economic reforms” into increased production, jobs, lower costs, higher incomes and improved living standards.

He urged the NCDC to translate the summit’s 20-year vision into measurable outcomes by establishing safer communities, productive farms, better infrastructure, new industries, expanding businesses, jobs for young people and rising household prosperity.

The Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Dr. Cyril Tsenyil, FCNA, in his opening remarks, acknowledged that the North Central needed to move from fragmented state-level efforts towards a coordinated regional economy built around shared infrastructure, investment and prosperity.

According to him, agriculture and agro-processing, minerals, infrastructure, digital connectivity, SMEs and regional economic corridors are the way to go for the region.

Backstory

The development comes weeks after the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the NCDC, Senator Titus Zam (Benue North-West), revealed that the NCDC receives N2.9 billion monthly from the Federal Government against an approved budget of N140 billion.

• In February 2026, the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) also requested legislative approval for a N140 billion 2026 budget as it unveiled plans to grow the South-East into a $200 billion economy within the next decade.
• Under the 2026 Appropriation Act seen by Nairametrics, statutory transfers earmarked for the Niger Delta Development Commission stood at N618,127,393,490, while the South-East Development Commission had N140,000,000,000.
• N145,606,921,550 was earmarked for the North-West Development Commission, while the South-West Development Commission was slated to receive N140,000,000,000.

The South-South Development Commission’s statutory transfers stood at N140,000,000,000, while the North Central Development Commission was earmarked to receive N140,000,000,000.

The total figure for the regional commissions in statutory transfers is ₦1,323,734,315,040.

What you should know

The Bola Tinubu-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) established the Ministry of Regional Development in October 2024 to oversee all regional development commissions, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), North-West Development Commission, South-West Development Commission and North-East Development Commission.

The move resulted in the scrapping of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, which was created by then-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on September 10, 2008.