The Rivers State House of Assembly has ordered the arrest of the Vice Chancellor of the PAMO University of Medical Science, Port Harcourt, due to the failure of the institution's VC to honour the invitation of the Ad Hoc House Committee investigating the disbursement of funds to the university by the state government since 2017. The Assembly's order was taken during a plenary session on Friday, presided over by the Speaker, Mr Martin Amaewhule.
The Ad Hoc Committee probing the scholarship funds disbursed to the university had extended the countdown for the VC to appear before the committee headed by the House Deputy Speaker, Mr Dumle Maol, on Thursday, September 24. However, the VC failed to appear, prompting the Assembly to take the drastic measure. A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, indicated that the House deliberated on the report of the Ad Hoc Committee.
According to the statement, the House urged the Rivers State Government to set up a committee to recover all unaccounted funds in PAMO University's possession and deposit them in the state's Consolidated Revenue Account. The Assembly's resolution came amidst the refusal of the PAMO University VC to appear before the Ad hoc committee after several invitations, to explain how money given to the university under the scholarship scheme was expended.
The Ad hoc Committee Report chronicled how the university received over N29bn from the State government with no corresponding student enrolment, giving credence to the reason behind the Vice Chancellor's refusal to honour the invitations. The report also revealed that out of the over N29bn released by the state government to PAMO University, it merely utilised only N5bn.
The Speaker, Mr Martin Amaewhule, frowned upon the situation where documents presented by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, and the Office of the Accountant-General were at variance. He emphasised that no individual can be bigger than the House as an institution empowered by the Constitution, and that the Assembly under his leadership is determined to do the right thing irrespective of whose ox is gored.
It is worth noting that the House of Assembly had yanked off the sum of N6bn allocated to PAMO University of Medical Sciences in the state 2026 budget of N1.84tn presented to it by Governor Siminalayi Fubara before presenting same to the governor on September 3rd for his assent, which he appended without question. PAMO University is owned by former Rivers State governor, Dr Peter Odili, who doubles as the Pro-Chancellor.
The development is a sequel to the allegations of misappropriation of funds against the university. The Assembly's move is aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the management of public funds. The VC's arrest is expected to shed more light on the utilisation of the scholarship funds and the circumstances surrounding the university's operations.
Key points
- The Rivers State House of Assembly has ordered the arrest of the Vice Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Science, Port Harcourt, over the disbursement of N29bn scholarship funds by the state government.
- The university received over N29bn from the State government with no corresponding student enrolment.
- The Assembly urged the Rivers State Government to set up a committee to recover all unaccounted funds in PAMO University's possession and deposit them in the state's Consolidated Revenue Account.
