Korede Abdullah 
RIVERS, Nigeria – The Rivers State House of Assembly has inaugurated a seven-member Ad Hoc Committee to investigate the disbursement and utilisation of funds allocated by the state government to the PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), amid a growing dispute over the institution’s funding.
The committee, constituted by Speaker Rt. Hon. Martin Amaewhule under Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), is expected to determine the total amount released to the university since its establishment in 2017, assess how the funds were utilised, and identify beneficiaries of the state’s medical scholarship programme.
According to a statement issued by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Enemi Alabo George, the panel is chaired by Rt. Hon. Dumle Maol has until September 30, 2026, to submit its findings.
The investigation follows controversy surrounding a proposed N6 billion allocation to PUMS in the 2026 Rivers State budget, which was eventually removed after concerns were raised over accountability.
Speaker Amaewhule had questioned the transparency surrounding previous government funding to the university, prompting the institution, through its legal counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), to demand an immediate retraction and public apology.
The university maintained that it had never been invited by the Assembly or any government agency to account for scholarship funds, insisting that all government payments were used strictly for the education and training of Rivers State beneficiaries studying medicine and allied health sciences.
Adedipe warned that failure to withdraw the alleged defamatory statements within 24 hours would result in legal action against the Speaker.
The dispute has generated anxiety among parents, students and former scholarship beneficiaries over the future of the state-sponsored medical scholarship programme, which commenced in 2018 to train River’s indigenes in medicine and other health-related disciplines.
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Mirian Gom 
Hope Ajayi 
