Akec Tong Aleu, governor of Tonj state, said on Tuesday a budget shortage has not allowed his administration to pay full attention to service delivery and establishment of institutions in the area. Akec explained that the central government in Juba was still trying to find a way to fund the new states which are still sharing the previous budget.

In October, President Salva Kiir changed the number of states in South Sudan from 10 to 28, and appointed governors in December.

“There are issues which we are seeking the attention of the national government to address.  The issue of budget is one of them.  This is very important because when there is an issue like insecurity, it requires resources. The security forces needs to have a means of transport. They need cars, they need fuel, they need food, medicines. All these things need money but now there is no budget. So the issue of lack of budget is really affecting delivery of services to our people”, explained governor Akec in an interview.

Goveror Akec said that security was an issue that his administration wants to address, but the lack of budget has affected it's activities, including holding community dialogue.