02/11/2025
Why Has the Minister of Roads and Bridges Never Discussed Roads in the Ruweng Administrative Area and the Upper Nile State?
First and foremost, I have been asking myself a simple but powerful question: why has the Minister of Roads and Bridges never discussed the issue of road construction in the Ruweng Administrative Area and Upper Nile State? These are not ordinary places. These are the regions that fuel the nation’s economy — the backbone of South Sudan’s oil production and the heartbeat of its survival. Yet, when it comes to development, particularly roads, there is nothing but silence.
Who is the minister afraid of? Who has silenced him from telling the government in Juba the truth — that the oil-producing states and administrative areas deserve modern, durable roads just like any other part of the country? The people of Ruweng and Upper Nile have made significant contributions to this nation, yet they continue to face challenges such as isolation, inadequate transportation, and limited access to essential services.
What hurts me most is that even Hon. Mijok Mijaknyang De Tor, a son from one of the oil-producing regions, has not taken a bold step to introduce new road projects in Parliament. I say this with disappointment because, as someone born from the same soil that keeps the nation alive, he should have been the loudest voice demanding better infrastructure for his people. Instead, he has shown shallow thinking — choosing to please the two regions of Equatoria and Bahr el Ghazal by focusing on roads there, while being too afraid to question the government in Juba about why roads, hospitals, and schools are still not built in Ruweng and Upper Nile.
He went to Ruweng a year ago, and yet nothing has been heard about any road projects or development plans. The visit seemed more symbolic than practical — no follow-up, no new project launched, and no communication to the public about progress. How can a leader visit his people and return without even one vis
