N29BN SCHOLARSHIP: ASSEMBLY ORDERS VC’S ARREST

The Rivers State House of Assembly has ordered the arrest of the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, over his failure to appear before a committee investigating scholarship funds received by the institution.

The Assembly said the ad hoc committee had invited the Vice-Chancellor several times to explain how funds allocated to the university under the state’s scholarship programme since 2017 were spent.

According to the committee’s report, PAMO University received more than ₦29bn from the Rivers State Government under the scholarship scheme. The lawmakers raised concerns over differences between the amount released and available student enrolment figures.

The Assembly also questioned discrepancies among financial documents submitted by the state Ministries of Finance and Education and the Office of the Accountant-General.

Speaker Martin Amaewhule said the House’s assessment indicated that about ₦5bn of the funds had been utilised, although the figures remain part of the issues being examined by the committee.

The lawmakers directed the Rivers State Government to establish a committee to identify and recover any funds they determine to be unaccounted for and return them to the state’s Consolidated Revenue Account.

The Assembly had earlier removed a ₦6bn allocation for PAMO University from the state’s 2026 budget.

PAMO University is owned by former Rivers State Governor Peter Odili, who also serves as its Pro-Chancellor.