A group, the Godswill Akpabio Uncommon Transformational Support Organisation, has said the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, should become the next President of Nigeria because of the infrastructural projects his administration embarked upon as Akwa Ibom State governor.
The spokesman for GAUTSO, Bennett Akar, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, adding that Akpabio’s projects were his footprints, which were stamped all over the state after he left office.
He said, “There is no doubt that Nigeria at this time is suffering from infrastructure challenges in all spheres – roads, power, healthcare and education – and it is right that we begin to have a conversation on the person who can deliver these things as we discuss the 2023 presidential election.
“We applaud the Buhari administration for its infrastructural interventions, but the only person who can take it a notch higher is Senator Akpabio, because he had always seen it as the key to unlocking our potential and fast tracking our development and with the present state of the nation, the next President of the country should be someone, who understands how to close the infrastructure gap speedily and ignite economic growth.
“Akwa Ibom, under his watch, was a huge construction yard with roads, bridges and flyovers. Virtually all parts of the state were touched by his drive for infrastructural excellence and his intervention had the immediate benefits of changing the landscape of the state and attracting investors and tourists to the state.”
Akar also noted that the former governor used his position to steer the Niger Delta Development Commission in the right direction.
“As Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, he has used his position to steer the NDDC in the right direction in the area of infrastructure. The East-West Road, which has been under construction since 2006, is now getting due attention by the commission to show how serious he is about prioritising infrastructure. In 2020, a total of 345 projects were stepped down to accommodate the N10bn in the budget for the completion of this important road,” he added.
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