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…Says scholarship records are with Education Ministry, rejects allegations of financial mismanagement
PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS), Port Harcourt, has explained why its Vice Chancellor, Prof. Michael Diejomaoh, did not personally appear before the Rivers State House of Assembly over an ongoing investigation into the relationship between the university and the Rivers State Government.
The university, in a public notice issued by its management, said its decision was informed by concerns over the manner in which the legislative inquiry was initiated and conducted, as well as the fact that the matter had already been taken before the courts.
The institution alleged that the investigation was politically motivated and followed public statements by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly accusing the university of lacking transparency in the use of funds received from the state government and of mismanaging funds allegedly appropriated for students on Rivers State Government scholarships.
PAMO University rejected the allegations, saying no funds had been appropriated directly to the institution by the Rivers State Government. It also demanded the withdrawal of the allegations and a public apology, but said neither request was granted.
According to the university, the House of Assembly subsequently constituted an ad hoc committee on Thursday, September 3, 2026, to investigate the relationship between the Rivers State Government and PAMO University of Medical Sciences.
The institution said that, in compliance with the committee's invitation, it sent an official representative to the committee's sitting on Wednesday, September 16.
PAMO University, however, alleged that the committee declined to recognise its representative, refused to grant him an opportunity to be heard and would not accept the official letter and supporting documents he attempted to submit on behalf of the institution.
The university said it thereafter sought legal protection after concluding that the process was becoming an attempt to embarrass the institution rather than an avenue for establishing the facts surrounding the scholarship arrangement.
While the matter was pending before the court, the university said, the Rivers State House of Assembly issued a warrant for the arrest of the Vice Chancellor on Friday, September 25.
On the financial aspect of the controversy, PAMO University maintained that the Rivers State Government scholarship scheme for students admitted to the institution on merit has been supervised by the state Ministry of Education since its commencement.
It argued that the ministry therefore possesses the relevant records of transactions, agreements and dealings between the state government and the university, and that the records could have been made available to the legislative committee by the ministry.
The university further stated that it had fulfilled all obligations contained in the Memorandum of Understanding governing the scholarship arrangement.
Explaining the funding structure, PUMS said it is a private university and, as such, neither the Rivers State Government nor the House of Assembly appropriates money directly to the institution.
Rather, it said, appropriations are made to the Ministry of Education or other relevant government ministries, departments and agencies to meet the state's scholarship obligations.
Under the arrangement, according to the university, the state government sponsors eligible students by paying fees that would otherwise have been borne by their parents or other sponsors.
PAMO University said the scholarship scheme has enabled Rivers State students to obtain medical education that might otherwise have been beyond the financial capacity of their families.
The institution also raised concerns over the possible effect of the dispute on students, saying it had deliberately avoided escalating the matter because of the potential disruption to the education of about 600 current Rivers State Government scholarship beneficiaries.
According to the university, it has continued for the past four months to keep the affected students on campus despite outstanding school-fee payments, while bearing the cost of their tuition, feeding, accommodation and other related expenses.
PUMS said the collaboration between the state government and the institution had produced graduates in several health-related disciplines, including Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Radiography, Pharmacology, Physiology, Anatomy and Biochemistry.
The university added that students remain enrolled in the various programmes and that the institution expects its first set of Doctor of Physiotherapy graduates in due course.
It further stated that its graduates have completed their programmes on schedule and that its programmes have received full accreditation from the relevant regulatory bodies.
The university said the scholarship partnership had therefore produced benefits for both the state and its students, while stressing that it remained committed to protecting the interests of the students affected by the dispute.
The latest development comes amid an increasingly contentious relationship between the institution and the Rivers State legislature over the handling of the state's scholarship arrangement with PAMO University.
While the university has presented its position and explanations in the public notice, the allegations made by the House of Assembly and the committee's findings, if any, would be necessary to establish the legislature's position on the issues raised by PUMS.
