Rivers Assembly probes funding of PAMO university

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Rivers Assembly

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By Davies Iheamnachor

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Rivers State House of Assembly has set up a committee to inquire into the funding of the PAMO University of Medical Sciences, PUMS.

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The assembly disclosed this move in a statement dated 3rd of September and signed by the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Enemi Alabo George.

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This came hours after the assembly had okayed the 2026 state’s Appropriation Bill of N1.8trn and the budget subsequently signed into law by Governor Siminalayi Fubara.

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The assembly had expunged N6 billion meant for funding scholarships in the university before approving the budget.

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Former governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, began funding the university in 2017. The incumbent governor, Fubara, continued in that direction.

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But the assembly said its committee would probe the university in order to know how the fund that ran into N6 billion came and was expended.

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The ad-hoc committee, headed by Hon. Dumle Maol, is expected to submit its report on or before the 30th of September 2026 to the House.

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However, George, in his statement, noted that the House had set up the committee to investigate the funding of the university by the state government since 2017.

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George said: “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 DSSRS 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).

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“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.”

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