South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The Chairperson of Northern Bahr El Ghazal State Youth Union, Tito Awen has criticized officials from the state ministry of youth, culture and sports for attempting to oust him from office.
Awen told Dawn on Tuesday that the officials from the state ministry of youth, culture and sport convened meeting in the state aimed at removing him from office.
Awen was suspended from activities of the Northern Bahr El Ghazal youth union in late October, after being accused of embezzling funds belonging to the union.
“The minister of youth, culture and sports through the directorate of sports forged a stamp under the name of the commission head, and they pretended to call it the youth commission and to my knowledge, there is no formation of youth commission in the state of Northern Bahr El Ghazal,” Awen said.
He referred to the meeting held at the Grand Hotel in Aweil town as “illegal and unconstitutional” which he said is creating a lot of commotion and tension within the structures of the union.
Awen accused William Dier Atak the director of sports of the state ministry of youth arranged for the meeting which attempted to oust the latter from office.
“You can call for a congress meeting 14-days in advance and he called for a meeting 6 days in advance,” he said.
Awen said the meeting was supposed to be attended by two-third of the majority which is 56 of 85.
“They just called for this meeting to remove me, I was elected on 1st of October last year and I have never found peace from that time up to now and after they tried everything and it didn’t work and this is why they are trying this as the last bullet for them.”
“Especially in my state, we are been forced by state authorities to be seen that we are violent but we will never accept to be violent but we will speak, we will never stop to speak.”
When contacted for comment, the state minister of youth, culture, and sports, Bol Akuar promised to get back to this reporter but never did.
The Northern Bahr El Ghazal State (NBGs) youth union councilors who have been working with Awen, fell out with him in August and suspended him from his role for a three-month period over allegations of financial mismanagement.
The suspension letter signed by the speaker, Santino Thiep Arou endorsed the deputy chairman of the youth union Deng Chok Yai to serve as acting chairperson.
