By Yiep Joseph
Northern Bahr El Ghazal State Ministry of Local Government and Law Enforcement Agencies urges communities to stop creating more chieftainships.
Bol Akoon Akoon cited challenges to limited financial resources to run numerous chieftaincies in the state.
The minister made the call during the memorial ceremony of the late Mama Adong Lual Aher in Akoch Atong Mabil Boma of Mayen Ulem Payam.
According to the minister, the state’s limited budget cannot support the creation and maintenance of additional chieftaincy.
Akoon explained that the primary reason for discouraging the creation of new chieftainships is the lack of allocated budget.
He also noted that the population size in areas requesting a chief is often unknown and requires official confirmation and assessment by the ministry.
“The reason for stopping the creation of chieftainship is because there is no budget allocated, and the population in that particular area, which requires a chief, is unknown and needs to be confirmed by the ministry, as assessed,” Akoon warned.
According to Akoon, there are already hundreds of chiefs in the state, and their upkeep poses a challenge for the government, which continues to face financial constraints.
He further urged communities to refrain from creating chieftainships without proper authorization from the concerned ministry. He also cautioned payam administrators and chiefs against involvement in politics.
The Minister called on communities to engage in productive activities that support peace and development in their areas. He added that the state government remains committed to empowering local chiefs to effectively manage leadership in their respective jurisdictions.
Separately, Garang Majok, an expert in local government, commented that some chieftainships are being established without a proper budget from the local government.
He added that such chiefs often rely solely on support from their community members, who contribute funds for them since the government lacks sufficient budget to provide support.
“There are many coming up, but most of them get support from their community members; they team up and mobilize resources to support them,” he said.
Majok reiterated the importance of the institution of chieftaincy, highlighting that it facilitates easy coordination between the national government, state government, and citizens at the village level.