WBS ready for independence celebrations

The Western Bahr el Ghazal State Police Commissioner, Simon Ajuong, said the security situation in the state is calm and people are ready to celebrate the 11th anniversary of Independence Day.

“We are ready to celebrate that day and I want to assure the people of Western Bahr el Ghazal State [that it] is safe and secure, and we are prepared for the day,” Ajuong said.

Ajuong assured the citizens that the state’s security organs are keeping an eye on them to ensure their safety.

 “We had a meeting as the security personnel on Tuesday under the leadership of the governor, Sarah Cleto Rial, and we formed a high-level committee to prepare for a successful celebration day,” he said.

Ajuong wished all South Sudanese a happy Independence Day and urged people to use the day as a new way for people to embrace peace among themselves.

The national government announced last week that it would not organise a public celebration of the country’s 11th independence anniversary due to limited resources.

‘‘The government currently has many issues that require funds and does not have enough resources to organize a public celebration,’’ said Michael Makuei, the national minister of information and government spokesperson after last week’s council of ministers.

However, WBS Information Minister, Samuel Nicola Kornelio, who spoke to Radio Tamazuj said the state government obtained the funds to commemorate the independence anniversary because the national government said it would not organise an official celebration due to a lack of funds.

“Governor Cleto gave us the go-ahead. “She said we needed to work and come up with a very small budget,” he said.

 “I believe we will submit the budget today (Wednesday).  I’m not sure how much money will be allocated, but we’ll make do with what we have,” he said.