Rivers Assembly probes funding of PAMO university

The Rivers State House of Assembly has opened an inquiry into funding for PAMO University of Medical Sciences, including money that ran into 6 billion naira. The assembly announced the committee in a statement dated Sept. 3, shortly after approving the state’s 2026 appropriation bill of 1.8 trillion naira.

Lawmakers removed 6 billion naira earmarked for university scholarships before approving the budget, which Governor Siminalayi Fubara later signed into law. Former governor Nyesom Wike, now the federal capital territory minister, began funding the university in 2017. Fubara continued the funding after taking office.

The assembly said it wants to establish how much money the university has received from the state since its creation and how that money was spent. It also plans to identify scholarship beneficiaries and determine whether the funds were used for their intended purposes.

The ad hoc committee is chaired by Dumle Maol and must submit its report to the House by Sept. 30, 2026. House information committee chairman Enemi Alabo George said the inquiry was established under Section 128 of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The investigation covers the state government’s disbursements to the university since 2017. Its mandate includes determining the total funding, reviewing its use and establishing the number and identities of scholarship recipients, if any.

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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.