Regional Commissions Must Drive Development – Bisi Akande

Pioneer chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Governor of Osun State, Chief Bisi Akande, has described the regional commissions approved by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a quiet restructuring of the polity.

He said the regional commissions are not just geographical entities but economic development engines or grassroots-focused commissions.

Commending Tinubu for championing the decentralisation process, Akande said through regional empowerment, true development must begin from the grassroots, with each region in charge of its own destiny.

The elder statesman, who spoke at the South West stakeholders dialogue organised by Afenifere, the Pan-Yoruba socio-political group, the DAWN Commission, and South West governors, however said the military-led bifurcation of Nigeria into many states caused more harm than good.

The elder statesman explained that Nigeria began as a federation of the two protectorates of the northern and southern provinces, each with its own government.

Later, the country was rearranged into a federation of the northern, western, and eastern regions, also with separate governments.

He noted that the minority ethnic question and the rights of minorities within each region led to the establishment of the Sir Henry Willink Commission in 1957.

This commission was designed to enable the gradual creation of more states, evolving from a federation of three to four, and perhaps to six states before or immediately after independence.

However, Akande said that since independence, the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s government has been hijacked by the military, which is anti-federalist. Since then, the running of the country has become unified and hierarchical.

The Afenifere leader pointed out that successive military regimes, taking a one-dimensional approach to complex issues, reduced panaceas for national unity to mere balkanisation by splitting Nigeria into thirty-six states and nearly eight hundred local governments.

According to him, the resources required to maintain four or six government administrations have been stretched, replicated, and multiplied into the current humongous and unmanageable proportions.

He emphasised that purposeful restructuring must start with the restoration of genuine federalism.

This restructuring should ensure equality of opportunity for all citizens, alongside maximum opportunity for personal, community, regional, and national development, he added.

Akande added that a quieter, more profound restructuring is already underway through regional empowerment and institutional decentralisation championed by President Tinubu.

He said, “In a stroke of visionary leadership, in addition to the South South Development Commission, the present administration has established and inaugurated five regional development commissions — the North West, North Central, North East, South East, and now our own South West Development Commission (SWDC).

“Each of these commissions represents not just geographical entities but economic development engines or grassroots-focused commissions — a recognition that true development must begin from the grassroots, with each region in charge of its own destiny.

“For us in the South West, this is both an opportunity and a responsibility — to once again lead by example, demonstrating how local collaboration, innovative thinking, and strategic implementation can drive sustainable development, especially now in these times of diversification under the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The former Osun State governor added that the South West must stand at the forefront of this transformation.

Agriculture, the primary driver of the economy, is being revitalised through massive federal and sub-national investments in value chains — from cassava and cocoa to rice, palm oil, poultry, and aquaculture, he added.