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A fresh face-off has emerged between the Rivers State House of Assembly and PAMO University of Medical Sciences (PUMS) following the Assembly\'s decision to investigate funds released to the institution by the state government since 2017.
The Assembly on Thursday announced the constitution of a seven-member ad hoc committee to probe the disbursement and utilisation of state funds allocated to the medical university.
The decision, contained in a statement issued by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Enemi Alabo George, was said to be in line with Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, said the committee would determine the total amount released by the Rivers State Government to the institution, examine whether the funds were utilised for the purposes they were approved, and verify the number and identities of beneficiaries of scholarship schemes linked to the university.
The panel, chaired by Rt. Hon. Dumle Maol, has Hon. Silvanus Nwankwo, Hon. Lemchi Nyeche, Hon. Henrietta Loolo, Hon. Peter Abbey, Hon. Napoleon Ukalikpe and Hon. Emilia Amadi as members.
The committee has been directed to submit its report to the House on or before September 30, 2026.
The investigation comes amid an escalating dispute between the Assembly and the university over comments allegedly made by the Speaker regarding the institution\'s management of public funds.
PAMO University, through its lawyers, Adedipe and Adedipe Legal Practitioners, has demanded an immediate retraction and public apology from Amaewhule over what it described as defamatory statements made during the presentation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill at Government House, Port Harcourt.
In a letter dated September 3, 2026, and signed by Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ayodeji Adedipe, the university alleged that the Speaker falsely claimed that ₦6 billion was proposed for the institution in the 2026 budget, that it lacked transparency in managing previous allocations, and that it ignored an invitation by the House Committee to account for scholarship funds.
The institution dismissed the allegations as false, insisting it had never received any invitation from the Assembly to explain the utilisation of scholarship funds and maintained that all monies received from the Rivers State Government had been properly applied.
According to the university, the Speaker\'s remarks portrayed the institution as dishonest and irresponsible, thereby damaging its reputation and public image.
It consequently gave the Speaker 24 hours to retract the statements and tender a public apology, warning that failure to comply would leave it with no option but to institute legal proceedings.
The development follows the passage of the Rivers State 2026 Appropriation Bill, during which the House Committee on Appropriation recommended withholding the proposed ₦6 billion grant to PAMO University pending the outcome of investigations.
