By Ade Oyeyemi
The Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a warrant for the arrest of the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, over his failure to appear before a committee investigating scholarship funds running into more than N29bn released to the institution by the state government.
The Assembly took the decision during its 53rd legislative sitting on Friday after considering the report of an ad hoc committee constituted to investigate the disbursement and utilisation of the funds.
The committee, chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, had invited the university’s Vice-Chancellor several times to explain how the scholarship funds were spent.
However, according to the Assembly, the VC failed to honour the invitations despite an extension granted by the lawmakers, with the latest deadline set for Thursday, September 24.
The House, presided over by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, consequently adopted the committee’s recommendation for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against the university’s Vice-Chancellor.
The Assembly also called on the Rivers State Government to establish a recovery committee to trace and recover funds it described as unaccounted for and allegedly held by the university, with the recovered money to be paid into the state’s Consolidated Revenue Account.
According to the report presented to the House, PAMO University received more than N29bn from the state government under the scholarship arrangement. The committee, however, raised questions over the number of students enrolled under the scheme and the utilisation of the funds.
A statement issued by the Speaker’s Special Assistant on Media, Martins Wachukwu, quoted the Assembly as saying documents submitted by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and the Office of the Accountant-General contained discrepancies.
Commenting on the report, Amaewhule said the government’s decision to establish the scholarship arrangement might have been well-intentioned but criticised its implementation.
The Speaker further claimed that available records indicated that of the more than N29bn released to the university, only about N5bn had been utilised.
He said the Assembly would continue to exercise its oversight responsibilities and take steps it considered necessary to protect public funds.
Amaewhule also maintained that no individual was above the institution, stressing that the House had a constitutional responsibility to investigate matters concerning public expenditure.
The development follows the Assembly’s earlier decision to remove N6bn earmarked for PAMO University from the state’s N1.84tn 2026 budget before the budget was passed and transmitted to Governor Siminalayi Fubara for assent.
PAMO University of Medical Sciences is owned by former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili, who also serves as its Pro-Chancellor.
The university’s position on the Assembly’s latest resolution and the allegations contained in the committee’s report was not included in the statement announcing the lawmakers’ decision.
