The Rivers State Assembly, prior to approving the 2026 budget, queried and cancelled alleged ₦6 billion appropriation to PAMO University of Medical Sciences Port Harcourt. This action is believed to be a direct consequence of the ongoing political rift between Sir Odili (the founder of PAMO University and former Governor) with former Governor and now FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
The Rivers Assembly cannot pretend not to be informed that there is a running scholarship programme sponsored by Rivers State Government at Pamo Univesity of Medical Science, Port Harcourt.
To set the record straight, the partnership between the Rivers State Government and PAMO University dates back to 2018, when former Governor Nyesom Wike initiated a scholarship sponsorship programme for Rivers State indigenes. Under this arrangement, the university conducts annual screenings for all Rivers applicants, and successful candidates are admitted on full scholarship.
This initiative began with Wike funding 500 Rivers State students, which he described as a grant during his administration. Since then, the partnership has continued annually. It is crucial to emphasise that this was never an appropriation gifted to Dr. Odili personally; rather, it was payment for educational services rendered by the university to students under the Rivers State Government’s scholarship scheme.
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When Governor Sir Siminalayi Fubara assumed office, he inherited this programme and maintained the scholarship sponsorship of Rivers students at PAMO University. If this funding is now discontinued, the question arises: how would the affected students fare if their parents are not financially able to pay the fees? This would mirror the precedent set when Wike, upon taking over from Rotimi Amaechi, discontinued the foreign scholarship programme for Rivers youths studying abroad. Many of those students were subsequently forced to drop out and were deported.
At the end, we are all Rivers people, and even if the Assembly wishes to discontinue the scholarship scheme, those already awarded scholarships should be allowed to complete their studies. Students who have invested years in preparing for their futures risk having their training abruptly terminated and their scholarships revoked, sacrificing the future of Rivers hopeful medical professionals on the altar of political disagreement and vendetta.
It is important to understand that most conventional private universities in this country charge between ₦6–7 million, a session per student tuition fees. The Rivers Assembly intentionally making this a public debate suggests a deliberate attempt of maligning the university founder, which appears to be sponsored by former Governor Nyesom Wike.
The questions that remain unanswered are: does the ₦6 billion appropriation to PAMO University represent the Rivers State Assembly’s quest to expose corruption, or is it a sacrifice of the future of innocent Rivers indigene undergoing medical training on the altar of political vendetta, or merely a calculated attempt to project Dr. Odili in a bad light? The Assembly appears to follow a scripted vendetta, yet the true casualties remain the Rivers students on scholarship, who will unfairly bear the weight of this political crossfire.
