Presidential aspirant and Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio has promised to continue to fight corruption using President Muhammadu Buhari’s approach.
The minister stated that the government cannot fight corruption if it does not tackle poverty vigorously, saying that both issues are twin brothers.
He also noted that if elected as the next President, he will use the Social Investment Programmes to tackle poverty the same way the Buhari government is using it.
Akpabio, who declared his presidential ambition on Wednesday in Uyo, stated this in an interview with Channels Television on Thursday.
He said: “We will harness the resources that we have in the country. We will take care of the maritime industry. We will also take care of the mineral resources.
“We will have a better way of controlling the youthful population and giving them hope in order to bring out their intellect and become more resourceful.
“Of course, we must continue the fight against corruption because if we allow it, corruption can kill us and I will continue the same way the president is doing — what he is doing that is right in terms of fighting corruption that was not done in the past.
“Corruption has a twin brother and that twin brother is poverty. You can’t fight corruption without fighting poverty with the Social Investment Programmes put in place to assist the poorest in the country vis-à-vis empowering the people.
“It means that as we tackle poverty, we are reducing corruption because corruption deepens poverty, while poverty leads to corruption.”
