A battle seemingly over state resources is brewing in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state as Governor Simon Uber Mawut indefinitely suspended Minister of Roads and Bridges Carolina Achok Akot, citing corruption and insubordination.
However, the minister fired back, accusing the governor of being the real force behind the said corruption.
It all started on Monday when Governor Mawut issued a gubernatorial order indefinitely suspending Minister of Road and Bridges , Achok, effective August 25, 2025.
The governor accused her of misappropriating public funds amounting to SSP 60 million, generated from leasing government land.
According to the gubernatorial order, she is also accused of unauthorized seizure of public for personal use and the illegal sale of fuel intended for the Aweil airport runway rehabilitation.
Further charges against the minister include failing to perform her duties by refusing to attend council meetings and a recent commissioners’ forum.
However, in a statement dated August 27, 2025, Minister Achok denied the charges against her and fired back with her own accusations, claiming the governor is the one orchestrating corruption.
She alleged that the governor established a committee to seize assets, including tractors and generators, which were donated by the European Union and UNOPS.
The assets were reportedly moved to a storage facility at the Aweil rice project, where she claims the governor sold one tractor to Dalkha Company and moved the other to cultivate his personal farm.
“This committee brought all the assets into Aweil Rice scheme storage, where you [Governor Uber] sold them away one by one, like now you sold one tractor to Dalkha Company, and the one tractor is now farming in your garden,” her statement read.
She further accused the governor of taking a large generator for his personal use and selling three refrigerators for his ‘pocket money.’
She noted that her suspension is not a political and administrative matter but a ‘personal dispute.’
“You have taken a big generator to your house for private use and also sold away three (3) refrigerators for your pocket money, you have also sent your brokers into the market looking for a customer to buy the rest of the assets,” she stated.
The escalating row has caught the attention of civil society groups who are now demanding transparency and call for national intervention, warning that the infighting threatens to derail essential service delivery for citizens.
Maria Angelo Charles, Secretary General of the Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Civil Society Organization Network (NBGSCSON), called on the national government in Juba to step in and hold those responsible for corruption accountable.
“If this thing is really happening, we have the national government that should also look into this matter and investigate,” said Maria.
“If the governor has a hand in it… and the house (state parliament) doesn’t want to look into it, then the national government must look into this matter. And so, as the community members, on behalf of the communities, we really call for accountability.”
Meanwhile, Joseph Angok Mayath, executive director for the Empowering Village Initiative, stated that such a corruption allegation has to be investigated thoroughly for citizens to have confidence that public funds are used responsibly and in line with the law.
“We emphasized that all allegations involving public resources must be investigated transparently through proper state mechanisms,” he stated. “Citizens need the confidence that public funds are used responsibly and in line with the law.”
With both sides leveling serious accusations against each other, it remains to be seen how the national government will respond and whether a full investigation will be launched.
