South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
The governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Simon Ober Mawut, on Monday ordered county commissioners to cease the ongoing creation of additional chieftainships.
“I wish to take this opportunity to remind the county commissioners, executive directors, and all the paramount chiefs that this ownership must come to an end,” Mawut said during the opening of the five-day commissioners’ forum in Aweil town.
Mawut stated that there are limited resources available to manage numerous chieftaincies in the state.
“I also want to inform all levels of local government structures that disputes over internal boundaries will be addressed at the appropriate time. For now, our collective priority is service provision to the people,” he said.
Mawut urged the county commissioners to equitably distribute the limited resources in their areas of jurisdiction to improve the lives and livelihoods of the people.
“We are fully aware of the many difficulties facing the counties and other levels of local government.”
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to addressing its top priorities, including security, an efficient road network, improved educational and health facilities, the provision of clean drinking water, and food security.
“The issue of environmental degradation and destruction remains a significant threat to our state. This matter is likely to worsen in the coming years if drastic measures are not taken,” he said.
“For this reason, the state government will launch a tree-planting programme immediately at the conclusion of this event. Therefore, we urge county administrations to engage our people and partners to support this important state-led initiative.”
For her part, Monicah Ajak Madut, Officer in Charge of the Aweil Field of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), stated that the commissioners’ forum comes at a critical time when resources are dwindling amid cuts in aid.
“The Commissioners Forum comes at a very opportune time. Donor fatigue is real; resources are shrinking. So, we development partners are being asked to do more with less,” said Ajak.
“But we, as Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, have the greatest resource, which is you and me. The most valuable resource is not minerals or natural resources; it is the people, the human resource that we have.”
She believes that the forum will provide pathways to address some of the challenges facing the state.
The forum serves as the state’s highest policy platform, bringing together local policy actors to deliberate on a wide range of issues related to social cohesion, conflict mitigation, peacebuilding, and service delivery to communities.
