President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, met with the Minister of Regional Development and the leadership of seven development commissions at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where plans were announced to deepen collaboration with state governments to tackle insecurity and improve critical infrastructure, including roads across the country’s geo-political zones.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, said that although the commissions are not the chief executives of their respective regions, they are mandated to complement federal and state efforts, particularly in addressing security challenges.

He noted that existing commissions are already contributing to regional road development, adding that similar interventions are expected as newly established commissions become fully operational.

“The commissions will work with state governments to address insecurity in their regions. It is part of their core mandate. They are not the chief executives of the states, but they will complement the work of other levels of government,” Momoh said.

The minister cited ongoing interventions by state governments on federal highways, such as repairs on a 10-kilometre stretch of the Benin-Warri Road in Delta State and work on the Sapele-Ogorode corridor in Edo State, as examples of proactive collaboration that should be replicated nationwide.

He attributed the poor condition of many roads to a long-standing neglect of maintenance, noting that the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), “for more than eight to 10 years, was not fully alive to its responsibilities.”

Momoh said the development commissions have adopted a four-phase master plan for rebuilding and linking economic clusters across the regions. The first phase focused on security, followed by sustainability, while the ongoing third phase prioritises infrastructure to expand market access and drive community renewal.

Responding to a question on why some of the newly established commissions were yet to get take-off funding, the minister said it was part of the reason for their meeting with the President.