Rivers Legislators Order Full Inquiry into PAMO University's State Allocations

The Rivers State House of Assembly has officially established a special seven-member ad hoc committee tasked with investigating all financial disbursements made by the state government to the PAMO University of Medical Sciences, located in Port Harcourt. This comprehensive review will cover the period since the university's inception in 2017.

Deputy Speaker Dumle Maol will chair this committee, which was constituted by Speaker Martin Amaewhule. The formation of this body aligns with the provisions of Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This development was communicated to the public via a press statement released on Friday by Enemi George, who serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Information.

The statement elaborated on the committee's specific objectives: to ascertain the total monetary contributions provided by the state government to PAMO University since its establishment and to confirm if these funds were appropriately utilized for their designated purposes. Additionally, the committee is expected to identify and enumerate all beneficiaries, if any, of the university's scholarship scheme, among other related inquiries.

A section of the official statement read: “In line with section 128 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule has constituted an Ad-Hoc Committee to conduct an inquiry into Rivers State Government’s disbursement of funds to PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS).” It further clarified the committee's directive: “The committee has been mandated to unravel how much funds the University has received from the Rivers State Government since inception in 2017; determine whether such funds were adequately utilized for purposes they were meant for and ascertain the number as well as identities of all scholarship scheme beneficiaries if any, amongst other things.”

The other legislators appointed to serve on the ad hoc committee include Silvanus Nwankwo, Lemchi Nyeche, Henrietta Loolo, Peter Abbey, Napoleon Ukalikpe, and Emilia Amadi.

The investigation is specifically designed to quantify the total financial support from the Rivers State government to PAMO University and assess if these allocations were judiciously applied towards their stated objectives. Additionally, the probe aims to identify all individuals who may have benefited from any scholarship programs offered by the university.

The ad hoc committee has been given a deadline of September 30, 2026, to present its findings and submit its report to the State House of Assembly.

This inquiry comes on the heels of the Assembly's recent decision not to approve a proposed N6 billion allocation for the university in the state's 2026 budget. It is noteworthy that PAMO University of Medical Sciences was established by former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili, who currently serves as the institution’s Pro-Chancellor.