The passage of the Rivers State 2026 Appropriation Bill, which took longer than expected, did not come without controversy, as the State House of Assembly raised concerns over the management and accountability of funds allocated to PAMO University of Medical Sciences.
Speaker of the Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, raised the concerns on Thursday while addressing Governor Siminalayi Fubara at a ceremony held at the Executive Chambers of the State Government House in Port Harcourt, shortly before the governor signed the N1.84 trillion budget into law.
Amaewhule said the Assembly made adjustments to the budget after scrutinising the proposal and considering presentations made during the budget defence, particularly those relating to PAMO University.
He said lawmakers were not satisfied with the explanations provided by the university management concerning the use and impact of funds allocated to the institution over the years.
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“When the committee considered the presentations made during the budget defence and, of course, with oversight of that particular university, the committee, the House as well, was not satisfied with the presentations made, particularly with regards to how the management of the university has not been very transparent in terms of what has happened over the years,” Amaewhule said.
The Speaker stressed that the Assembly’s position should not be interpreted as a condemnation of the university, noting that the institution provides medical education and services.
He, however, said the House was concerned about the need for greater accountability where public funds were being allocated to a private institution.
“It is important to note that when funds of the state have been appropriated and released to a private concern, there needs to be more transparency, particularly with the legislature, so that we can know what exactly is happening,” he said.
Amaewhule said the Assembly also needed information on the number of beneficiaries of the government’s fund at the university and the extent to which the programme had contributed to strengthening the state’s medical workforce.
According to him, the objective of the programme was to train doctors and other medical personnel who would eventually provide services in health facilities across Rivers State.
“The House needs to know how many people over the years have benefited from the funds sent by the state government, how has that impacted on the medical institutions in the state, because the primary objective for that programme is to train doctors and medical personnel to fill up the medical facilities and hospitals across the state,” he said.
He further disclosed that the university did not appear before the Assembly during the budget defence despite being invited to explain its activities and the funds it had received.
“During the budget defence, the university did not also send any delegation to explain to the House, given that it is an organisation that’s receiving billions of taxpayers’ funds. I’m told the university was invited, it didn’t come,” the Speaker said.
Amaewhule said the concerns surrounding PAMO University contributed to a reduction in the amount initially proposed for the institution, with part of the funds redirected to the Primary Health Care Management Board for rehabilitation work in health facilities.
He said the adjustment was made after the Assembly considered the board’s request for funds to rehabilitate facilities and bring them up to the required standard.
The Speaker maintained that the adjustment was not intended to undermine the university but to ensure that public funds were deployed to areas where the Assembly considered them necessary.
He said the Assembly would continue to demand accountability from ministries, departments, agencies and other bodies receiving government funds.
“Everybody must defend funds released to him or her,” Amaewhule said.
He assured the governor that the Assembly was prepared to work with the executive and other government institutions to ensure that public resources were used prudently and that the people of Rivers State benefited from government programmes and policies.
The governor subsequently signed the N1.84 trillion 2026 Appropriation Bill into law at the ceremony.
PAMO University of Medical Sciences was founded by former Rivers State Governor, Peter Odili.
The state government’s financial support for the institution began under the administration of former Governor Nyesom Wike, who, in 2018, announced a N500 million grant to the university and a commitment to sponsor Rivers State students at the institution.
The National Universities Commission also reported the arrangement, under which the state government was to sponsor Rivers students annually.
The university’s funding has now become entangled in the wider political crisis in Rivers State.
Odili, who has backed Governor Fubara during the political dispute, has fallen out politically with Wike, who is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
The disagreement between the two former political allies has formed part of the broader political tensions surrounding the Rivers State crisis.
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