RismadarVoice Reporters
September 26, 2026
The Rivers State House of Assembly has resolved to issue a warrant for the arrest of the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences over his repeated failure to appear before lawmakers investigating more than ₦29 billion in scholarship funds released to the institution.
The resolution followed recommendations by an ad hoc committee investigating the disbursement and utilisation of funds provided by the Rivers State Government under its scholarship programme.
Presenting the committee’s report during Friday’s sitting, its chairman, Dumle Maol, said the Vice-Chancellor had repeatedly failed to honour invitations to explain how the funds allocated to the university were utilised.
The committee alleged that PAMO University received more than ₦29 billion from the state government under the scholarship scheme but raised questions over whether the amount corresponded with the number of students enrolled under the programme.
Lawmakers also cited discrepancies in financial records obtained from different government agencies.
Speaker of the House, Martin Amaewhule, said documents submitted by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and Office of the Accountant-General contained differing figures relating to payments made to the university.
According to Amaewhule, records examined by the committee indicated that only about ₦5 billion of the more than ₦29 billion released had been accounted for.
The committee consequently recommended the establishment of a recovery committee to determine the amount outstanding and recover any funds found to be unaccounted for.
It recommended that recovered funds be returned to the Rivers State Consolidated Revenue Account.
Amaewhule said the scholarship programme was established with good intentions but maintained that questions surrounding its implementation required proper investigation and accountability.
The Assembly’s allegations have not, by themselves, established wrongdoing by the university or its officials, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The House is expected to proceed with the committee’s recommendations, including the arrest warrant and efforts to establish the exact amount released, utilised and potentially recoverable under the scholarship programme.
