Support for that idea of Uncle Ustaz/Hon. James Ogilo Agor, but..!!!

Thank you very much Uncle Ustaz/Hon. James Ogilo Agor for your message addressed to Wadi Nyikango posted here on 10/04/2011. Indeed, whenever I read any of your articles, I take it in a sense that you write it with all your heart full of Love for Collo people and Collo Land. I support that idea; however, division among our Collo Politicians has made the development be shifted by NGOs to the then less unsecured areas within the region.

In the course of my Christmas holiday of 2006, I encountered some miscellaneous new developments which have been gradually developing up in Shilluk Kingdom. I took advantage of my long Christmas holiday that year to follow up those new developed unforeseen circumstances in the area.

There have been rumours which were being spreaded by some disgruntled elements within the community that, Church Ecumenical Action for Sudan (CEAS), World Vision, Tearfund and other NGOs therein which have been operating in the Shilluk Kingdom for ever since, have been leveled as personal organizations of Dr. Lam Akol Ajawin, the then Sudan Minister of Foreign Affairs. Those false accusations went as far as saying that, those organizations are there to serve the interest of selected people who support certain side and not the whole community. In the reality, the profiles of those NGOs have Health, Education, Agriculture and some integrated response Programs as components, which serve community without targeting any one. Hospitals give medical services to the sick people in community regardless of which village the sick person come from. Some medicines serve lives even in Malakal and Kodok towns by then. Regrettably, World Vision constructed Primary School in Khorfullus due to unforeseen circumstances by then in our home area, program which our area would have benefited too from that offer.

In fact, those rumours began to create a serious rife between the NGOs operating in Shilluk Kingdom and the Community. There was already a plan to kick out some of those NGOs from the area based to this miss-information of serving the interest of the selected few within the Community. It was found out that those romours have been created by those who have politically lost the ground among the community in the Kingdom; hence they want to cause friction between the King and Dr. Lam Akol. Shilluk Communities in both Northern and Southern Shilluk Kingdom were also divided between Dr Lam Akol and Hon. Pagan Amum's supporters according to those runours, which still the case until this date. But now trend changed to DC.

Since I have been based in the area that time, I took advantage of my long working relationship with the community and consult with some people on those rumours, and to also at least offer my opinion and other side of the story to the Community and the other stakeholders like NGOs. We eventually reached to an amicable way forward. I made it clear to the few Community members to whom I talked; the clear purpose of NGOs being in the area were to solve local people's problems based on their own wishes and the suffering the locals felt need to be solved in the area. When those points were understood by some, the attitude of the community have changed towards NGOs in the area and were willing to work closely with NGOs because I told them that the programmes NGOs were doing there with them were done at their own request and recommendations based on the initial April 2000 Annual Need Assessment in the area by NGOs.

Thank God, I arrived to the area at the right time and consulted with community in our home area. By then, I was in Northern and Southern Shilluk Kingdom. I with some few people supported the idea of NGOs contributions. Then, we have averted that looming development catastrophe in the Shilluk kingdom. Those NGOs did not belong to particular individual as they were told. I told them that the presence of the NGOs in the area was a result of people's calling to solve their basic needs and bring development which government may do in that particular time of need.

So far, the problems have been sorted out. But I realized and recommended to those NGOs that in future, CEAS, World Vision, Tear fund and other NGOs in the area should seriously consider the Position of Public Relationship officer (PR officer) that links the local community with SSRRC and the Community. That kind of person would be very important to manage and evaluate all the programs to avoid falling into the same trap of miss-information created by the gap. That person will monitor the prevailing situation and the trend in consultations with all the stakeholders, ie Community and NGOs in the area. Thereafter, I went back to East Africa. Since I couldn't share my idea to the people who were not in our home land in the first four months of 2007. I came back to Shilluk Kingdom where I have written the below article while in Aburoc, which was posted to this Website on 14/04/2007. There was indeed apparent dark future for Collo which is now it is as we are approaching our independent in July 2011. Unfortunately, I have not met either of the two God's servants whether they have taken initiative in that letter or not. By the time I posted that article, I made sure that the hard copies have to be delivered to Rev Ezekiel Kutjok and Bishop Vincent Mojwok respectively.

Uncle Ustaz/Hon. James Ogilo Agor, peace among our current politicians is the desired initiative first, and then the rest will automatically follow. We as Collo can Peace with our neigbours. Other Southern Sudan tribes in their political debates have sharp differences, which we cannot deny. But they put aside their differences when the differences spoil their unity as tribes. I fully support the idea, but our unity first. Peace among our people will stop current trend which has now changed to leveling some people to be SPLM-DC even people who don't belong to any party are also leveled to DC. That has affected our Collo Young Men and Ladies in Juba who are looking for jobs in GOSS. It also affected the working group who are not getting their right normal promotions and seniorities in their place of services. I support that idea, but with current situation, our peace first. That is what I think we can this time to open the doors of development in our home area.

As a man of God somewhere puts it "Let us pray for wisdom for Leaders" Indeed, let us pray for our Collo Leaders in time as this and for you too Uncle Ustaz/Hon. James Ogilo as you struggle for the right of Collo and the right of the all people of South Sudan before 9^th July 2011. Thank you for your political inspirations. It is my prayer God gives you wisdom in those political inspirations for our entire benefit.

With God's richest blessings.

Yours sincerely,

Nyikwec Pakwan

Concern Ocollo based in South Sudan, reachable through: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Proposal to change the apparent dark future of Collo

By Nyikwec Pakwan

And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do? (Gen 11:6 KJV)

The various exchanges of various writings on websites which had become a tsunami in Collo area have reduced to some degree. But their implications are still in the minds and hearts of many people within the Collo community. It is unfortunate that many of Collo individuals and some groups had been influenced by motion to spend so much time and resources to expose our community nakedness. Unpreparedness has been a major culprit in as far as managing our internal problems are concern.

These recent communications do not reflect well for our Collo homeland; the contents of these writings were blurred by the sympathizers of both Dr. Lam Akol and Pagan Amum who have been the common figures in these discussions. However, both of them are our beloved sons of Collo who are prepared to listen to us.

Long standing disagreements must be settled if we are to protect our long term security. We must let reasoning override emotions to forge a peaceful and harmonious future. Thus to me, it is high time that we take stock, gather the facts of our own and re-strategize our future political move as a team. Most of the writings were praising and condemning our leaders in political positions in the current Sudan Government.

Fortunately enough, we have not heard from our brothers Dr. Lam Akol and Pagan Amum who were both mentioned severally in the various writings. It is not logical to put fire in a burning fire, but rather, we should work to putting out the fire! A lot of defamation and damages has been done by these writings. Some of us are not sure whether both of our brothers are really involved or not. But, the reality is that, these writings have happened. It is immaterial whether they are involved or not, but, all of us as the Collo community in general are held responsible for such things. Dr. Lam Akol and Pagan Amum are our Dear Sons and our Pillars at their current God's given political positions. The writings indeed imply bad blood between them. Again, in reality, both of them share the same Language, Religion, Custom and indeed One King.

Apparently, their relentless effort to uplift the status of our Shilluk community and other ethnic communities in Sudan speaks for itself. We pray for their continued good health so that they can continue in their tireless efforts as they have physically shown before by uplifting us and making us a proud community that can walk with our heads held high.

The writings on the website are making the Collo lose their war for political supremacy in the whole of Southern Sudan and in the Sudan at large. To our Kingdom, political nemesis going by the past records and cannot make any major progress inside the Shilluk Kingdom. Constant rumors can also hinder the work or presence of NGOs within our four counties.

For our brothers who have been involved in those writings, on a more serious note, and at a personal level, I am kindly requesting you to change to positive writings so as to provide all of us with some advice which can contribute to some efforts in the interest of the Collo community. We need to work together and have a candid deliberation with a view to problem solving rather than fueling the fire. When problems are identified, it is usually better to bring them out and arrive at the most appropriate way forward than shifting blame. Blame culture demotivates and destroys a team. A lot of issues need to be tackled by credible church leaders and other key community leaders to at least to change the apparent dark future for the Collo.

In my opinion, I am proposing His Lordship, Bishop Vincent Mojwok Nyiker and Moderator Rev Ezekiel Kutjok Akulieth to head the team of putting together our two brothers: Dr Lam Akol and Pagan Amum. Those two church leaders are spiritual leaders with very good standing within the community. It is my appeal that, our two brothers will be able to sit down with these two church Leaders in a time suitable for all. Other important personalities in this meditation process are the Paramount chiefs of Payams where our two brothers come from. This meeting will be a preliminary stage. If the mediation is finalized at that level, we as Collo will of course give praise to God, our two Paramount chiefs, our two brothers and our church Leaders. If it fails, (which we hope it may not) the mediation party will raise the issue to His Majesty the King, Reth Kwongo Dak Padiet where the final solution will be reached.

Collo is a nation, and in fact negative nation politics in our State will not take us anywhere, but destroy the vision and integrity of the Shilluk Kingdom. No nation will ever progress when there are no positive role models that the next generation can follow. Such politics are demeaning the actual mission and vision of the only kingdom in the state.

In another episode, we were there when an attempt of putting Dr. Adwok and Dr. Lam together was conducted in Nairobi on 18^th June 2004 by our Honourable Paramount Chiefs: Edward Amum Okiech, Philip Twong Monytung and Augustine Obyenyi Alongmayker. On mutual understanding, some burning problems which led to the antagonism between the two Leaders were discussed. There was a good example of the two Leaders by having signed one document with their own hands and pens to remind them not to revive that hatred any longer. In the presence of our Paramount Chiefs, both Dr. Adwok Nyaba and Dr. Lam Akol accepted prayers and traditional ceremonial sprinkling of water as a sign of unity. It now appears that these animosities are being revived to the determent of the community. We should not condone this, but rather encourage peace and harmony to allow all of us to build our home land as a team.

I have put a lot of effort in bringing our two brothers together in this writing as part of sustainable development in which each Southern Sudanese is trying to attain at this peace time. In the light of that, let us as Collo in all walks of life pull up our socks, work as a team and prove ourselves to be credible Leaders in the face of the local community of the kingdom and other tribes within the State. We as Collo need to attract more people with credible politics that will make us more attractive to other groups to enable us participate more effectively in all the areas of the development arena of the present day Sudan.

Peace and harmony amongst other ethnic groups has shown gain for those communities as they are now competing for the limited resources for development work instead of fighting. This is what we should be doing as well in the Shilluk Kingdom. Without doing that, we will just appear as one nation in the area with no clear mission and purpose. Since we are the only group with a kingdom, let us all as Collo work as one people, a team, regardless of political differences and push our shared programme forward, and avoid threatening each other. We as Collo should concentrate on building our homeland and if the current peace holds, the Shilluk Kingdom should be a shining light for the rest of Sudan!

As we are going for actual implementation at peace time, these unnecessary writings need to be discouraged and let us be devoted on positive and candid manner in a way that does not hurt the feelings of anyone, but promotes the good will and image of Collo. Otherwise, it will look an apparent dark future of Collo.

With Gods richest blessings to all. April 14^th 2007

Nyikwec Pakwan is a Teacher and Church Leader based in Shilluk Kingdom. He can be reached at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.