Rivers State House of Assembly Threatens Arrest of Fubara’s Commissioners

The Rivers State House of Assembly has threatened to issue warrants of arrest against officials of the state government and the management of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, PUMS, over their failure to appear before a committee investigating funds released to the institution.

Politics Nigeria gathered that the warning was issued on Wednesday by the ad-hoc committee set up to investigate the financial relationship between the Rivers State Government and the university.

The committee is chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Dumle Maol.

It is examining funds released to PAMO University from 2017 to date, including money reportedly provided for scholarship programmes for indigenes of Rivers State.

At its latest sitting in Port Harcourt, the committee expressed concern over the absence of some of the officials summoned to answer questions and provide documents relating to the funds.

Those invited included the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University, the Commissioner for Finance, the Accountant-General of Rivers State, the Commissioner for Education and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education.

However, the Vice-Chancellor, the Commissioner for Finance and the Accountant-General failed to appear before the committee.

The Commissioner for Education, Dr Peter Nwagor, attended the sitting and responded to questions from the lawmakers.

The development has now led to a fresh directive from the committee.

Maol asked the officials who failed to attend the hearing to appear before the committee on Thursday, September 24.

He warned that the Assembly could resort to its constitutional powers if they fail to honour the new invitation.

The committee chairman said the relevant provisions of the Constitution would be relied upon to compel their attendance, including the possibility of issuing warrants of arrest.

The warning also extends to the Vice-Chancellor of PAMO University, who was absent from the sitting.

Maol expressed disappointment over the failure of the officials to attend the investigation despite the earlier invitation issued by the House.

The lawmakers are seeking clarification on how funds provided by the Rivers State Government to PAMO University were disbursed and used.

A major part of the investigation concerns scholarships reportedly funded by the state government for Rivers indigenes studying at the institution.

The Assembly wants to establish the amount released over the years and determine whether the money was used for the purposes for which it was provided.

It also wants details of beneficiaries of the scholarship programme.

The investigation was launched after the Assembly questioned the proposed allocation of billions of naira to PAMO University in the state budget.

The House had earlier removed more than N6 billion earmarked for PAMO University from the 2026 budget before the appropriation law was passed.

The decision became another major point of interest in the ongoing disagreement between the legislature and the executive over public spending.

The Assembly subsequently established the ad-hoc committee to examine the funding of the institution from 2017.

The seven-member committee was constituted under Section 128 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

Its terms of reference include determining the total amount of money released by the Rivers State Government to PAMO University since its establishment.

The committee is also expected to determine whether the funds were properly utilised and establish the number and identities of beneficiaries under the scholarship scheme.

The Assembly had earlier summoned the relevant officials after raising questions over the management of the funds.

The latest sitting has therefore increased pressure on the officials who were absent.

The September 24 appearance is expected to provide another opportunity for the committee to obtain information required for its investigation.

Maol said the committee would not abandon the exercise because some of the invited persons failed to appear.

The lawmakers have maintained that the investigation is aimed at accounting for public funds released to the university.

The Assembly is also working against a deadline.

The ad-hoc committee is expected to submit its report to the House on or before September 30, 2026.

The House had previously stated that all parties involved would be given an opportunity to provide explanations and relevant information.

Speaker Martin Amaewhule had directed the committee to conduct the investigation diligently and ensure that the necessary parties were given a fair hearing.

The institution was founded by former Rivers State Governor, Dr Peter Odili, who also serves as its Pro-Chancellor.

PAMO University has received funding from the Rivers State Government over the years, including support linked to scholarship arrangements for Rivers indigenes.

The House is now seeking to establish the details of the financial transactions covering the period under investigation.