The controversy generated over the N6bn allocated to the PAMO University of Medical Sciences in the 2026 Rivers State budget for scholarships to students of the state origin studying medicine has deepened.
While the state legislature insisted that the PAMO University vice-chancellor must appear before it to explain how funds from the budget disbursed to the school since 2017 were spent, the institution’s lawyer, on the other hand, said he would not allow his client (VC) to appear before the committee.
Recall that the state Assembly on September 3, while passing the over N1.8tn budget submitted by Governor Siminalayi Fubara, rejected N6bn allocated to the PAMO University.
The House alleged that the management of the university, owned by former governor of the state, Dr Peter Odili, who doubles as the Pro-Chancellor of the institution, had not been transparent in the management of the funds allocated to it by the state government since 2017.
After the N6bn was removed from the budget and assented to by the governor, the Assembly, a few days later, constituted a committee chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Dumle Maol, to probe the funds disbursed to the university since 2017.
The Martin Amaewhule-led House then invited the Vice Chancellor of PUMS, the State Accountant General, the commissioner for finance, the commissioner for education and other officials to appear before the committee to explain how the funds appropriated to the university were expended.
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The ad hoc committee had fixed Thursday, September 24, as a new date for the vice-chancellor of the university and the state government officials to appear, having failed to appear before it on September 16.
