W. Bahr el Ghazal state governor marks five years term in office
May 19, 2015 [WAU] – South Sudan’s Western Bahr el Ghazal state governor, Rizik Zacharia Hassan on Tuesday marked his five years term in office, further promising security and development as his top priority for the next three years of extended term as elections could not take place due the ongoing civil war.
“Am very happy to thanks those who were with me during my five years in office, however it was not easy to reach today in term of maintaining the security and political [situation],” he said.
The day was marked with appreciations from his cabinet ministers and officials from the ruling Sudan Peoples’ Liberation Movement (SPLM) party, who described him as a strong governor who managed to maintain his position through implementing the SPLM party’s objectives.
Governor Hassan become the first SPLM elected governor for Western Bahr el Ghazal state in April 2010 elections before South Sudan split from Sudan in July 2011.
He is also number 2 governor in the state since the formation of semi-autonomous government in Southern Sudan in 2005.
Hassan who reshuffled his cabinet four times said he was appointing his government based on six points which including personal background and commitments to SPLM party.
His supporters said he made a lot of efforts in development in the state among which include establishing 41 payam headquarters in taking towns to the people.
The governor got his mandate of three more years from a meeting with president Salva Kiir last week in which he assured the governors to share the benefits in the extension of his term and that of the national legislature last month.
(ST)