FILE PHOTO: Hon. Onyoti Adigo Nyikec, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries - Courtesy

JUBA, South Sudan (Eye Radio) – Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Hon. Onyoti Adigo Nyikec withdrew controversial remarks about high-priced marriage bulls in Lakes State, following an official protest from the State Minister of Finance, during the 2025–2026 Budget Public Hearing on Friday.

The retraction followed an intervention by the Lakes State Minister of Finance, Hon. Majok Anhiem Dhal, who attended the draft budget public hearing and informed the national minister that his description had offended the people and the state. Minister Majok explicitly asked Hon. Onyoti to withdraw his statement.

The controversy began on Thursday when the Minister described the purchase of a single bull for $20,000 as a “wrong mentality.” He had argued that using animals for social prestige in marriages rather than commercial gain actively harms the national economy.

Addressing the assembly on Friday, Minister Onyoti acknowledged that his information came from secondary sources and expressed a willingness to retract the specific example.

He told the gathered officials that if his words had angered them, he would withdraw the statement. He clarified that someone had told him a bull could cost $20,000 for prestige, but he admitted he did not know for certain if the figure was true.

“I would like to come to my friend in Lakes State,” the Minister began. “When I said this yesterday, it was told to me by somebody. A bull costs 20,000 US dollars. It is for prestige, according to them… I don’t know if this is true.”

Acknowledging the frustration of lawmakers, he added, “So if it has angered you, I will do it as you mentioned. I will withdraw this thing.”

Despite the withdrawal, the Minister maintained his stance on the urgent need to commercialize the sector to benefit the national economy.

“We need to work hard to improve this livestock, not to be for marriages or prestige. We have to commercialize it so that we improve our economy. But sometimes our livestock, what are we benefiting from? I’m hoping that this livestock should be taxed. So that the government gets money from it,” he added.

The Minister highlighted the imbalance between government spending and revenue, noting that the state provides extensive services without financial return.

“We have 36 million livestock, and then we are not benefiting. And we are giving services like vaccination, treatment, and security. All these things are provided by the government. And we are not benefiting from it. Except for the local government, and it doesn’t go to the state, so we need to think, how do we come out of this scenario?” the Minister concluded.

The session ended with the Minister challenging Parliament to create a framework where the country’s vast animal resources contribute directly to the national treasury.