Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The PAMO University of Medical Sciences has defined why its vice-chancellor can not seem earlier than the Rivers State House of Assembly’s Ad-Hoc Committee investigating the state authorities’s scholarship association with the establishment, describing the train as politically motivated.
The college stated it had initially demonstrated its willingness to cooperate with the investigation by sending a consultant earlier than the committee on September 16, however alleged that the panel refused to recognise the consultant or obtain paperwork submitted on behalf of the establishment.
The place of the college was contained in a public discover signed by the Registrar, Peter Akubuiroh
“We attempted to cooperate with the committee by sending an official representative on September 16. However, the committee refused to recognise the representative or accept the documentation presented on behalf of the university”, PUMS stated.
It accused the meeting of prejudging the college by publicly alleging mismanagement of scholarship funds earlier than establishing the info.
“The House of Assembly had already publicly accused the university of mismanaging state scholarship funds without proof. Our demands for a retraction and apology have not been addressed.”
The college stated the circumstances surrounding the probe raised considerations concerning the objective and conduct of the investigation, prompting the establishment to hunt authorized safety.
On the scholarship association, PAMO maintained that it has fulfilled its obligations below the Memorandum of Understanding governing the programme.
“PAMO University of Medical Sciences is a private institution. Accordingly, neither the Rivers State Government nor the House of Assembly appropriates money directly to it.”
It defined that funds appropriated for the scholarship scheme have been channelled via the Rivers State Ministry of Education and different related authorities businesses to fulfill the state’s obligations to eligible college students.
“In practical terms, the state government sponsors eligible students by paying fees that would otherwise be paid by their parents or other sponsors,” the college acknowledged.
It added that the scholarship association covers tuition, feeding and lodging for Rivers State indigenes admitted to the college on benefit, including that beneficiaries had been skilled in Medicine and Surgery, Nursing Science, Medical Laboratory Science, Radiography, Pharmacology, Physiology, Anatomy and Biochemistry.
The college additional acknowledged that about 600 present Rivers State scholarship beneficiaries are enrolled on the establishment, warning that the dispute might disrupt their educational programmes.
“For the past four months, the university has continued to keep these students on campus despite outstanding school-fee payments, bearing the costs of their tuition, feeding, accommodation and related expenses.”
The college’s clarification got here after the state Assembly issued a warrant for the arrest of its vice-chancellor over his alleged repeated failure to honour invites to seem earlier than the committee.
The meeting, throughout its 53rd Legislative Sitting, thought-about the report of the Ad Hoc Committee investigating the disbursement of scholarship funds to the college and subsequently issued a warrant of arrest for the VC.
The resolutions have been contained in an announcement issued by Martins Wachukwu, Special Assistant on Media to the Speaker of the House.
The committee, chaired by the Deputy Leader of the House, Dumle Maol, was stated to have summoned the vice-chancellor a number of occasions to elucidate the utilisation of funds launched below the scholarship association.
The ad- hoc committee stated the college obtained greater than N29 billion from the state authorities below the scheme, alleging that the funds launched didn’t correspond with the variety of college students enrolled, thereby elevating questions on their utilisation and accountability.
