Grabbing the Land of Juba University: Compromising the Future of our Country and People

Grabbing of Juba University’s Land: Preserving our Learning Institutions for the Next Generations

By Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, Juba, South Sudan

Saturday, September 24, 2022 (PW) — The University of Juba was established in 1975 by the government of Sudan. It is considered one of the oldest institutions in the country’s archive when revisiting the historical background of the South Sudanese people. The university produced the most outstanding and brilliant leaders that fought for this beautiful country. For instance, the students at the University of Juba in 1980 became the first Southern Sudanese to acknowledge the value of the Nile water and stood firm against the construction of the Jonglei Canal.

Again in 2022, the University of Juba led the successful campaign for the anti-dredging of the Bahr el Ghazal (Naam) River, Sudd Wetlands, and the resumption of the Jonglei Canal Projects. It was one of the events that projected most of our leaders as pro-foreigners (South Sudanese Egyptians) in their thoughts and actions, having too much greed for money, being less conscious about the future of the next generations (unpatriotic spirit), and self-serving individuals.

On June 19, 2022, Hon. Manawa Peter Gatkuoth (God continue to rest his soul in peace), the National Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation, died in Egypt and his funeral prayer was conducted at Simba Square in Juba. The death of Manawa was a sad moment for South Sudanese people within and outside the country.

On the other hand, it was a brilliant opportunity for the Nile Water DEALERs to further their selfish interests, angrily revealing themselves with emotions, accusing the public over the death of Manawa and describing citizens as “Social Media Criminals,” a term that went viral on several media platforms for more than a month.

From that time, we felt our country and valuable resources were under the custody of untrustful people and were experiencing potential threats within and outside the country. For example, when leaders compromised the future of their country and generations to come, they decided to deal with outsiders and trade in common goods, the Nile water, and public land just to get a few dollars for survival.

Preserving the land of the University of Juba and other public lands is a collective responsibility of every South Sudanese citizen. We don’t have access to public finance, health care, clean drinking water, electricity, favorable transport, reliable communication, or stable security services. But we continue to achieve dividends of education, though extraordinarily little from our universities and other institutes of higher learning across the country.

In this case, the University of Juba admits the largest number of Students every year compared to the other four (04) public Universities operating in the Country. It has established a forum of becoming the mother of other learning institutions of Higher Education and a permanent Home of Wisdom for many South Sudanese seeking further qualifications.

Currently, the university has more than twenty-two (22) schools, numerous faculties/colleges, and centres hosting over fourteen thousand (14,000) South Sudanese students. Imagine, there is a growing demand for more space to establish new schools, colleges/faculties for undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as specialized research centres, libraries, and laboratories.

What does it mean when grabbing the Land belonging to the University of Juba?

Grabbing the land that belongs to public institutions, especially the University of Juba, privatizing and turning it into an individual-owned investment asset, is a capital crime equivalent to selling the future of the country and her people. In other words, registering what belongs to us in your own name amounts to institutional crime and corruption and is punishable by law.

Any Authority doing this act is seen through the lenses of a public enemy, considered a perpetrator who committed a crime against the Country and her people. We must respect such old Institutions that existed for the length of forty-five (45) years, a period that is equivalent to or more than the age of some government officials currently serving in the Country.

We expect to add new things to the university structure, not subtract even the existing peripheral parts of it. This is a total mess for our people. How do we establish an informed nation without respecting the learning environments? How do we produce competitive and talented human capital when the existence of the right-wing institutions of higher education is under threat? How do we produce our own teachers, engineers, doctors, lawyers, economists, accountants, and agronomists?

We will not drill our own oil and mine our gold, diamonds, uranium, copper, silver, and other precious metals without the existence of the university. We will not be able to undertake major infrastructure projects like building towers, tarmac roads, railway lines, airports, waterways, and specialized telecommunication services without favourable learning environments.

We will continue to have a weak and substandard education system in this country if we don’t embrace our higher institutions, protect their existence, and help them improve their performance in producing capable, talented, dedicated, and competent teachers.

We cannot be free from diseases, injustice, corruption, economic crisis, and food insecurity if we don’t stop threatening our learning institutions. Without reflecting on career issues, we will continue losing our vital business, oil, health, construction, and communication sectors to foreign nationals from Sudan, China, Malaysia, India, Egypt, Uganda, Kenya, D.R. Congo, and Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Lebanon just to mention a. Why?

Because, we are not competitive, we are lacking knowledge and skills, our Universities are lacking necessary support and could not get enough resources (budget) they need to operate, we lack trust in our home education and could only trust Countries like the UK, USA, Australia, Kenya, Uganda, Sudan and other Countries we believed to have better and standard education systems, we are seriously endangering and imposing major threats on our own institutions in terms of land grabbing, pollution and lack of cooperation from stakeholders (University and State government).

Thank God, our only son, Dr. Prof. John Akec Apuruot for transforming the University of Juba into the world standard level. This is what I exactly meant by the word, “adding new things into the University structure and avoiding subtracting the existing peripheral parts of it”. If South Sudan could get ten (10) more of Prof. John Akec Apuruot, our Country will drastically turn into a paradise on earth.

Since he became a Vice Chancellor of the University of Juba, we witnessed rapid development at the University, the number of lecture halls increased, the more qualified teaching staff was recruited, the salary structure changed significantly, and new schools, colleges and centres were established, the graduate programme increases, the academic calendar becomes regular, annual graduations take place, graduates receive their certificates and transcripts on time.

What a great transition from an underdeveloped and weak institution into a strong transformative and world-standard institution we are having today.

The University officials on their Senate Meeting No.122, September 22, 2022, Passed the Following Resolutions as hereunder:

RESOLUTIONS UOJ SITTING NO 221
Dated: 22nd September 2022

1- Calls on MoFP to honour proposal by Ministery of Higher Education to apply 120% salary adjustment rise for the financial year 2022/23

2- Calls on Central Equatoria State government to cease all developments activities on University Lands and withdraw all military personnel deployed on University premises

3- Failure by MoFP or Central Equatoria to resolve the above by Friday 29 September will lead to industrial action by UoJ staff.

We urge the Government of Central Equatoria State to distance itself from grabbing the land belonging to the University of Juba. It must be made very clear that, University is a public Institution and that its land must be respected and fully defended by every citizen. We call on the Chancellor, His Excellency, President Salva Kiir Mayardit to immediately intervene in helping the University restore every single inch of its land without hesitation.

The University of Juba is a public Service Institution that existed before this government and will continue to reign permanently for many generations to come. The University’s lands are under threats of grabbing, including Custom, Hai-Thoura and other campuses that are yet to be disclosed in the future.

The author, Ariik Kuol Ariik Mawien, holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development and Community Studies (2018/2019) and a Bachelor of Science in Economics (2013-2017) from Rumbek University of Science and Technology (RUST). He can be reached via Email: ariikkuolariik@gmail.com or Twitter: @AriikKuolAriik or Skype/WhatsApp: +211 (0) 923 650 380 or Cell Phone: +211 (0) 928 187 790.

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