Unity State Students accuse SPOC of diverting $250,000 tuition funds

BENTIU – The Unity State Students’ Union at Universities and Higher Institutes has accused Sudd Petroleum Operating Company (SPOC) of diverting $250,000 in Community Development funds allocated for student tuition support, warning that dozens of sponsored students risk being barred from examinations due to unpaid fees.

In a letter addressed to the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, Chol Thon Abel, the union’s chairperson, Gai George Dannhier Gatluak, called for urgent government intervention to hold SPOC’s Community Development (CD) management accountable for what he described as a breach of trust against students from the oil-producing state.

The letter alleges that tuition funds under Block 5A sponsorship, meant to support Unity State students in universities and higher institutes, were redirected to programs “that provide no benefit to Unity State.”

“It has now become evident that the CD Manager, under directives from the SPOC Vice President, diverted the Block 5A tuition allocation amounting to USD 250,000 to unrelated programs,” the letter states.

Unresolved engagements and broken commitments

According to the students’ union, repeated engagements with SPOC’s CD Manager failed to resolve the tuition payment issue. The union says it later approached the company’s Vice President and President, who allegedly promised to clear outstanding school fees — commitments that were never honoured.

The letter further claims that SPOC officials later declined both to pay tuition fees and to issue commitment letters to universities, leaving students without official assurance of continued sponsorship.

“Both the Vice President and CD Manager later declared that they would neither pay the school fees nor issue commitment letters to universities,” the union wrote.

Attempts to seek intervention through the SPOC’s internal security office also yielded no response, according to the students.

Students face exam exclusion

The situation has escalated as universities reportedly warned that students with unpaid fees would not be permitted to sit for examinations scheduled to begin on 16 February 2026.

“We have been notified that students who have not cleared their school fees will not be allowed to sit for the upcoming examinations,” the letter noted, adding that this has caused “significant anxiety” among affected students.

The union argues that the affected learners are officially registered under a sponsorship arrangement and should not be penalised for what it describes as institutional failure.

Host community entitlement

The students also emphasised that Unity State, as a host community for oil production, is entitled to benefit from education sponsorship programs funded through Community Development allocations.

“As the host community of an oil-producing state, it is our rightful privilege to benefit from sponsorship opportunities,” the letter reads.

They noted that the program has historically supported vulnerable students, including those from internally displaced persons (IDP) camps, enabling access to higher education.

In contrast, the union praised Greater Pioneer Operating Company (GPOC), stating that it has cleared student tuition balances in full, while SPOC has allegedly failed to honour similar obligations.

Call for accountability

The letter directly names SPOC’s CD Manager, John Lath Majok, accusing him of actions that “undermine the welfare of Southern Unity State students.” The union requested an official written clarification from the SPOC indicating whether the company is financially unable to continue the scholarship program.

“Such communication is essential for transparency and will serve as formal notice to the State Government and to parents,” the union stated.

The students have also appealed to national and state lawmakers, local chiefs, parents, and government authorities to support their demand for accountability.

Official responses not provided

By the time of publication, neither SPOC nor the Ministry of Petroleum had issued a public response to the allegations. Efforts to reach company representatives for comment were unsuccessful.

The dispute places renewed scrutiny on the management of Community Development funds in South Sudan’s oil sector, particularly in host communities where expectations of social benefits remain high amid economic hardship.

For Unity State students, the union warns that without swift intervention, the consequences could be immediate — stalled education, delayed graduations, and broken trust in a program meant to uplift some of the country’s most vulnerable learners.