President Bola Tinubu has ordered the release of funds to Nigeria’s regional development commissions, giving the agencies a financial push to begin implementing major infrastructure and economic projects across the country.

The directive, announced on Monday, came with a warning from the President: the commissions must not become vehicles for political patronage or the misuse of public funds.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, conveyed the directive while representing Tinubu at the North Central Development Commission summit.

Tinubu said the commissions required sustained financial and political backing to deliver projects capable of opening up their regions and expanding economic opportunities.

He identified rail transportation, aviation, industrialisation, investment, security, education, healthcare and human capital development among the areas requiring attention.

The President also urged the commissions to supplement government funding by attracting private investment, donor support and financing from development institutions.

The push comes amid efforts by the Federal Government to give the regional commissions a more defined role in coordinating development projects that extend beyond individual state boundaries.

For the North Central, the development commission has drawn up a 20-year plan focused on infrastructure, economic corridors, agricultural and mineral processing and opportunities for young people.

But Tinubu made clear that access to public funding would come with accountability.

He warned the commissions against corruption, politicisation, marginalisation and the misuse of government resources, stressing that officials found culpable would face sanctions.

The President also said the commissions were not designed to displace state and local governments.

Their role, he said, was to complement existing institutions by coordinating projects and interventions that address broader regional challenges.

At the summit, Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule pushed for greater local processing of the North Central’s agricultural and mineral resources.

Sule argued that the region could create more jobs and retain greater economic value by processing its resources locally rather than relying heavily on the export of raw materials.

He pointed to developments in lithium processing in Nasarawa and cement production in Kogi as examples of the region’s industrial potential.

The Chief Executive Officer of the North Central Development Commission, Cyril Tsenyil, said the commission’s long-term plan would provide a framework for infrastructure development, economic expansion and resource processing across the region.

Tinubu’s directive now gives the commissions a clearer financial runway to move from development plans to implementation, while the President’s warning puts pressure on their leadership to demonstrate that the new funding will produce measurable results.