Rivers University Fires Back at Speaker Amaewhule over N6bn Budget Claim
Pamo University of Medical Sciences has rejected allegations of financial impropriety made by the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Martin Amaewhule, over the institution’s management of funds allocated by the state government.
The university, through its counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, demanded an immediate retraction of the statements and an apology from the Speaker.
It, subsequently, threatened legal action if the demands are not met within 24 hours.
The controversy followed the assembly’s presentation of the 2026 Rivers State Appropriation Act for the Governor’s assent on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at the Executive Council Chambers of the Rivers State Government House in Port Harcourt.
According to the university’s lawyers, Amaewhule had alleged that the House Committee considered a proposed N6 billion allocation to Pamo University and raised concerns about the institution’s transparency in managing funds previously allocated to it.
The Speaker was also accused of stating that the university had been invited by the relevant House committee to account for the funds but failed to appear, and that it did not submit any records or reports to the Assembly.
Pamo University, however, described the claims as “totally false and unfounded,” insisting that it had never been invited by the Rivers State House of Assembly or any other body to account for the scholarship funds provided to it by the state government.
In the letter signed by Adedipe, the institution maintained that the funds were provided under the Rivers State Government’s scholarship scheme for Rivers indigenes studying at the university.
It said the scholarship funds had been “strictly and judiciously” applied for the purpose for which they were released, adding that it had not diverted or mismanaged the money.
The university said the allegations had subjected its management to embarrassment and damaged its reputation, arguing that Amaewhule’s comments could be interpreted by members of the public as accusing the institution of fraud and diversion of public funds.
The lawyers consequently demanded the immediate withdrawal of the statements and a formal apology to the university.
They gave the Speaker 24 hours from the receipt of the letter to comply, warning that failure to do so would trigger legal proceedings against him without further notice.
The dispute centres on a contentious N6 billion provision in the 2026 Rivers State budget for Pamo University of Medical Sciences, a privately owned institution.
During deliberations on the appropriation bill, lawmakers questioned the size and justification of the allocation, particularly in view of concerns over accountability for previous funds released to the university.
The Assembly was also said to have compared the proposed allocation with the funding earmarked for Rivers State University, a public institution, which received about N6.1 billion in the budget.
The comparison reportedly heightened concerns among members of the Committee on Supply over whether it was appropriate to allocate almost the same amount to a privately owned university.
Following the concerns, the committee resolved that further releases to Pamo University should be suspended until the Assembly was satisfied with the institution’s accountability mechanisms.
The resolution led to the proposed N6 billion allocation being stepped down during the budget process pending further investigation.
