Rivers Assembly summons PAMO varsity VC, others over scholarship funds

The Rivers State House of Assembly has summoned the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Services, Port Harcourt, to appear before it and explain scholarship funds released to it by the state government.

Also invited are the State Accountant General, the State Commissioner for Education, the Permanent Secretary of the State Ministry of Education, among other officials.

This comes barely a fortnight after the House rejected a proposed N6 billion allocation to the university in the state’s over N1.8 trillion 2026 budget.

The House, during its Monday plenary, said the summons is pursuant to sections 128 and 129 of the Nigerian Constitution.

The invited officials are expected to appear before an ad hoc committee of the House on September 16, even as the Speaker, Martin Amaewhule, who presided over the plenary, warned those invited against failing to honour the summons.

Amaewhule said the House intends to establish whether funds previously allocated to the university were utilised for the purposes for which they were released.

In a statement issued by Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker, Martins Wachukwu, it said the summons became necessary after the House Ad-hoc Committee investigating scholarship funds to the university presented its preliminary report.

It said the committee informed the House that letters of invitation have been sent to the Vice-Chancellor, the Ministry of Education and all parties to the inquiry.

The statement was titled, ‘Rivers Assembly Ad-hoc Committee Invites Pamo University VC, Ministry of Education To Explain Scholarship Funds, Adopts Committee Recommendation On Sea School Isaka Re-Establishment.’

The statement reads, “The Rivers State House of Assembly Ad-hoc Committee on the investigation of scholarship funds to PAMO University of Medical Sciences, on Monday, at the 44th Legislative Sitting of the House, gave its preliminary Report, wherein it informed the House that invitation letters have been sent to the Vice Chancellor of the University, the Ministry of Education and all necessary parties to the inquiry”.

Presenting the preliminary Report, the committee Chairman and Deputy Speaker of the House, Dumle Maol, said, “In line with the provisions of Sections 128 and 129 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended, and other extant laws, the Committee has done the needful, and it is awaiting the appearance of those invited.”

Amaewhule, while commenting on the preliminary report, urged the committee to take the assignment seriously and ensure that fair hearing is given to all concerned in the course of its inquiry.

Amaewhule further said the House has the constitutional mandate to summon anybody to give evidence and to produce documents that will aid the House to conduct its investigation in the interest of the people.

The statement added, “Recall that the House, acting on the recommendation of its Appropriation Committee, expunged from the 2026 Appropriation Law the six billion Naira proposed as a scholarship grant to PAMO University of Medical Sciences; and thereafter constituted an ad hoc Committee to investigate from the inception of the university how much has been disbursed to the university and how well the funds have been utilised for the purposes they were meant for.”