The acting governor of Western Equatoria State, Daniel Badagbu Rimbasa, has issued an order officially reverting the status of Nadiangere Administrative Area to a payam.
State Order No. 01/2025, released on Friday, 4 April 2025, cites the decision as being in line with Article 106 A (2)(A) of the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011 (as amended), and Article 1.9.2.1 of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) 2018. The decree, signed and stamped in Yambio, highlights the need to restructure administrative units for better governance and service delivery.
Under the new directive, Nadiangere, which was previously upgraded to an administrative area by the former governor, Alfred Futuyo, will now return to its former status as a payam, operating under its previous local government structure.
Acting Governor Rimbasa emphasized that this decision takes immediate effect, with the aim of enhancing coordination, administration, and accountability at the grassroots level.
The local community has largely welcomed the change. Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, the chief of Nadiangere Payam, Simon London, expressed his gratitude, stating that his people are thrilled with the governor’s initiative to revert the administrative area to payam status.
“This is what our leaders are supposed to do, not make decisions alone,” he said. “The former governor should have involved the people in the decision-making process and sent it to the national parliament for a collective decision.”
“This government is good and it will work with us and move us ahead. Nothing will happen without our knowledge,” he said. “Nadiangere was elevated to an administrative area without our consultation. The former governor did not care about us; in fact, he neglected us.”
For his part, John Ginsa, a youth representative from Nadiangere Payam, also welcomed the decision.
“This is a positive change because Nadiangere was previously part of Yambio County as a payam and the people agreed on that structure,” he stated. “The previous decision to promote it to an administrative area was made by the former governor alone, without consulting the local community or leaders. I urge the state and national governments, especially the SPLM, to support us here in Nadiangere.”
On 24 April 2024, Former Governor Alfred Futuyo promoted Nadiangere from a Payam to an Administrative Area, creating a sub-county. Nadiangere is located 105 miles from the Yambio County Headquarters.
This decision marks a significant shift in local governance.
In addition to this order, he also issued State Order No. 05/2025, which revokes all private land titles and leases granted on government land within Yambio. This directive, also issued on 4 April 2025, targets unauthorized land occupation involving plots designated for public institutions, including ministries, radio stations, the Ministry of Transport and Roads, as well as land meant for schools and markets. The government intends to review all recent land lease agreements to ensure compliance with legal and administrative procedures, protecting public property, and ensuring proper land use for development purposes.
