That PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt, Rivers state, owned and run by Dr. Peter O. Odili, a former governor of the state, which is in its 5th year of existence, could be a destination for medical education in Nigeria is not in doubt. But, this fact is being controverted lately by ongoing tug of war between the university’s management led by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Michael Diejomoah, on the one hand, and fee-paying parents of students of the university, on the other.
The university has some fee-paying students funded by about 38 parents and those on scholarship by the Barrister Nyesom Wike government of Rivers state. Governor Wike has been a pillar of support to only indigent students of Rivers state in the institution. Students not of Rivers state origin being sponsored by no less than 38-fee paying parents are on their own with constant possible threats of dropping out of their studies!
The crux of the tug of war has to do with a mid-session upward fee-review majorly for medical students (especially) and other categories of students with MBBS students’ fee-review attracting the highest of N2.145 million over and above the N4 million which was paid by the fee-paying parents at the beginning of the 2021 session in June, 2021. In 2021 alone, parents paid N8 million to get their children/wards through that year, yet a whopping additional N2.145 million is being demanded in this present Nigeria that everyone is going through hard times!
And, that is after the students have been cleared of full payment of N4 million at the bursary for same 2021/22 session.
The vice-chancellor of the medical university had replied the fee-paying parents who acted together to appeal that the fee-review after the medical students have paid and got cleared for full-session fee payment for 2021/2022 session at the bursary, should be dropped as it is not justified to review fees when the session paid for is still not completed. He said students were to be prevented from resuming on campus (after 2021 Christmas break) unless they paid.
Sensing trouble, the VC allowed the affected students to resume only after signing an undertaking to pay latest by 21st February, 2022.
In his reply to the parents when an appeal to drop or review the fees was made, January 3, 2022, the vice chancellor via email entitled ‘RE: TUITION FEE STATUS AND OTHER MATTERS dated December 31. 2021, insisted that “The Council and Management reviewed the recent increase in school fees very carefully. Decision was taken after due consideration of the economic circumstances currently prevalent in the country. A change or review is not possible.”
The parents sought to meet with the founder/promoter and later resorted to sending a letter through the registrar which met with no positive response. They are now seeking the National Universities Commission (NUC), Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state, the Nigerian public and even all lovers of medical education world-wide to join in appealing to the good conscience of Dr. Peter Otunanya Odili and the management of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Elelenwom, Obio-Akpor local government area, Port Harcourt, Rivers state to reconsider this unjustifiable 2021/2022 upward mid-session fee review in the university as this is capable of jeopardising the completion of training the medical students who have just between one and two years to complete their studies and graduating to treat fellow Nigerians, stem medical tourism and keeping diseases at bay in Nigeria.
As it is, the very prohibitive fee paid to get students through PAMO University of Medical Sciences with the unwarranted upward mid-session review has made many of the fee-paying parents sick, at the verge of bankruptcy, insanity, experiencing debilitating high-blood pressure and all that.
The fee-paying students were forced to sign an undertaking to pay the increased N2.145 million over and above the N4 million which was paid by the fee-paying parents at the beginning of the 2021 session in June, 2021 on or before February 21, 2022.
The fee-paying parents have indicated their readiness to do battle with the university management, to bring this total disregard and disdain for them to the public. Their belief is that they are major stakeholders of the university who are being taken for nobody by the founder and VC, and they will be resisting paying the upward reviewed 2021/22 session fee. They stated that they would have nothing less than their demand for cancellation of the upward reviewed 2021/22 session fee being met.
In the meantime, time ticks towards February 22, 2022, and the question is, will the world, Nigerians, NUC save the educational career of the medical students of PAMO University of Medical Sciences, Port Harcourt?
Oyetomi writes from Abuja via 07030639782
