Youth in Gakrool Payam in Aweil South County, Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, have forced the payam administrator out of office over alleged corruption and incompetence, claims he denies.
“The reason why we don’t want him is because he is not doing anything at the payam headquarters,” Gabriel Garang Deng, youth representative, told Akol Yam FM on Monday.
This comes after the youth protested last Sunday, calling for the removal of Athiang Adup Athiang.
The youth say the administrator has been embezzling funds generated through local avenues for his own benefits.
According to them, the resources should have been used to construct modern payam office.
“There are incomes such as court revenues but instead he used them for his own benefit,” Garang alleged.
The youth say Athiang is working alone without any cooperation with the local community.
They are now calling on the county government to intervene in the matter to install a new payam administrator.
For his part, the Aweil South County executive director confirmed the development, saying he sanctioned the removal of Athiang.
James Muoth disclosed that: “I have decided to remove him and his removal is effective since yesterday. I have taken the official stamp of the payam from him and handed it over to his deputy. So, I told him that you have to sit in your house until further notice.”
‘None of my business’
However, the embattled payam administrator denied being dismissed, saying he was not served with an official dismissal letter.
Athiang claimed that he is still the area administrator despite the growing pressure for him to leave.
“What I know now is that I’m the one running Gakrool. When I came here, I didn’t come on my own. I was brought here by the government,” he stated. “It is the same government that will decide when I will go. So, whatever is being said is none of my business.”
When asked about corruption allegations, Athiang said he had never received any money from the 3 bomas of the payam.