The Rivers State House of Assembly has issued a warrant of arrest for the Vice Chancellor of PAMO University of Medical Sciences.
The resolution was reached on Friday during the 53rd Legislative Sitting, while deliberating on the report of its Adhoc Committee on the investigation of scholarship funds to PAMO University.
The report was presented by the Chairman of the Committee, Rt. Hon. Dumle Maol.
The House also urged the State Government to set up a committee to recover all unaccounted funds in the possession of PAMO University and deposit them in the Consolidated Revenue Account of the State.
According to the Assembly, the resolution became necessary after the Vice Chancellor repeatedly refused to appear before the Adhoc Committee to explain how funds given to the university under the scholarship scheme were expended
Presenting the report, Maol disclosed that the university received over N29 billion from the State Government with no corresponding student enrolment, a situation he said gives credence to the reason behind the VC’s refusal to honour the invitations.
Commenting on the report, the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Martin Chike Amaewhule, said although the intention of the government in entering into the scholarship agreement was good, the implementation was flawed.
Amaewhule frowned at the discrepancy in documents presented by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education and the Office of the Accountant-General, adding that by simple deduction, out of the over N29 billion released to PAMO University, only about N5 billion was utilized.
The Speaker emphasized that the Assembly under his leadership is determined to do the right thing irrespective of whose ox is gored, stressing that no individual is bigger than the House as an institution empowered by the Constitution.
