Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
The PAMO College of Scientific Sciences has defined why its vice-chancellor can’t seem sooner than the Rivers State Area of Meeting’s Advert-Hoc Committee investigating the state govt’s scholarship association with the establishment, describing the workout as politically motivated.
The college stated it had to start with demonstrated its willingness to cooperate with the investigation via sending a consultant sooner 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 location of the college used to be contained in a public realize signed via the Registrar, Peter Akubuiroh
“We tried to cooperate with the committee via sending an professional consultant on September 16. On the other hand, the committee refused to recognise the consultant or settle for the documentation offered on behalf of the college”, PUMS stated.
It accused the meeting of prejudging the college via publicly alleging mismanagement of scholarship price range sooner than organising the info.
“The Area of Meeting had already publicly accused the college of mismanaging state scholarship price range with out evidence. Our calls for for a retraction and apology have no longer been addressed.”
The college stated the instances surrounding the probe raised considerations concerning the function and habits of the investigation, prompting the establishment to hunt prison coverage.
At the scholarship association, PAMO maintained that it has fulfilled its duties beneath the Memorandum of Figuring out governing the programme.
“PAMO College of Scientific Sciences is a non-public establishment. Accordingly, neither the Rivers State Executive nor the Area of Meeting appropriates cash without delay to it.”
It defined that price range appropriated for the scholarship scheme have been channelled in the course of the Rivers State Ministry of Schooling and different related govt businesses to satisfy the state’s duties to eligible scholars.
“In sensible phrases, the state govt sponsors eligible scholars via paying charges that will differently be paid via their oldsters or different sponsors,” the college mentioned.
It added that the scholarship association covers tuition, feeding and lodging for Rivers State indigenes admitted to the college on advantage, including that beneficiaries were educated in Medication and Surgical operation, Nursing Science, Scientific Laboratory Science, Radiography, Pharmacology, Body structure, Anatomy and Biochemistry.
The college additional mentioned that about 600 present Rivers State scholarship beneficiaries are enrolled on the establishment, caution that the dispute may disrupt their instructional programmes.
“For the previous 4 months, the college has persisted to stay those scholars on campus in spite of remarkable school-fee bills, bearing the prices in their tuition, feeding, lodging and comparable bills.”
The college’s rationalization got here after the state Meeting issued a warrant for the arrest of its vice-chancellor over his alleged repeated failure to honour invites to look sooner than the committee.
The meeting, throughout its 53rd Legislative Sitting, thought to be the file of the Advert Hoc Committee investigating the disbursement of scholarship price range to the college and due to this fact issued a warrant of arrest for the VC.
The resolutions have been contained in a commentary issued via Martins Wachukwu, Particular Assistant on Media to the Speaker of the Area.
The committee, chaired via the Deputy Chief of the Area, Dumle Maol, used to be stated to have summoned the vice-chancellor a number of instances to provide an explanation for the utilisation of price range launched beneath the scholarship association.
The ad- hoc committee stated the college gained greater than N29 billion from the state govt beneath the scheme, alleging that the price range launched didn’t correspond with the selection of scholars enrolled, thereby elevating questions on their utilisation and responsibility.