A section of politicians, lawmakers, and professionals from Northern Bahr el Ghazal State have amplified calls for the sacking of Governor Simon Ober Mawut.
Gabriel Bol Dut, a member of the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) Party, told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday morning that he is among those calling for the governor’s removal because the latter has failed to serve the people and cater to their needs.
“I am calling for the removal of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Simon Ober Mawut because he has been appointed by the president to serve the people, but the way I see how he does things, he will not rescue the people from the current situation,” he charged. “He [Mawut] works with some individuals in the government, and the majority of the officials from the legislature and executive are not working closely with him.”
“This is because the small circle around the governor pushes people away from accessing the governor,” Bol added.
For his part, Kon Deng Kon, the chairperson of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Teachers Union, said there is an increasing demand by people for the removal of the governor. He accused the governor of working with corrupt officials.
“Yes, I am supporting the calls for the removal of the governor because he supports corrupt officials and staff in the government,” he stated. “For instance, we are in court with the state education ministry over several issues, including the huge collection of school fees from pupils and students.”
Meanwhile, William Wel Deng, a state parliamentarian, welcomed the calls for Governor Ober’s firing, saying the latter has failed to fix existing roads and open new feeder roads to connect farmers to markets.
“We were expecting some projects like renovation of roads, creation of feeder roads that connect the farmers with markets and towns, but now the governor seems like someone who pursues his own interest,” said Deng. “He takes the money, so there is no program, and that indicates the man has no experience in government policy and no clue about developmental projects.”
“He uses the government as his profit-making institution,” Wel added.
However, Bol Akuar Gamar, State Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, and acting information minister, said those demanding the removal of the governor have hidden interests.
“Concerning the political situation in the state and calls for the removal of the governor, I want to make it very clear that those who are calling for the removal of the governor are the politicians who want to pass their interests through social media platforms,” he stated.
Minister Akuar listed the embattled governor’s achievements as the renovation of roads in some of the counties, including Aweil East County, fencing off Aweil Radio and TV, and “other developmental activities.”