Central Equatoria State Governor Emmanuel Adil Anthony has directed the newly appointed minister of land to resolve land-related disputes in the state.
Fredericko Laku Raymond was appointed on Thursday as the new state minister of land and housing, replacing Flora Gabriel Modi.
Some of the existing land disputes in Central Equatoria State include a lack of legal land ownership documents and incidents of double title deeds for the same piece of land.
Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed officials in Juba on Friday, Governor Adil said the land dispute is becoming a threat, and it is one of the biggest tests for the state government.
“There are millions of problems there in the Ministry of Housing, there is double allotments of land, and there are a lot of problems I am solving every day because of land. I am not here to solve land issues, we need to develop other sectors, such as health,” he said.
“Land grabbing is on the rise, it is becoming a security issue. So go and find a way of correcting the problem. This is really serious. This is the biggest test that the Central Equatoria government is having now,” he added.
Meanwhile, Viana Kakule, the newly appointed minister of finance, said they will work as a team to serve the people of Central Equatoria State.
“For the trust you have bestowed upon us for giving us this great assignment to lead these various institutions, as we have taken the oath of allegiance, we shall try our level best within our capabilities to serve this state to the best of our interest and for the interest of our people,” Kakule said.