Eric Patrick
Protesting students from the University of Ibadan College of Medicine in Oyo State marched through the streets to demand an end to the extended power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
The students on Monday, stormed the hospital, expressing frustration over the lack of electricity for over 100 days.
According to reports, the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) management were at UCH during the demonstration.
Carrying signs that read “100 days of darkness is enough; Save UCH,” the students urged the minister to intervene and address the crisis that has been disrupting their academic and clinical activities.
The Student Union President, Bolaji Aweda, stated, “The union demands immediate restoration of power to UCH.”
Aweda further stated that, the students also demand that the 50 per cent waiver the government promised to tertiary healthcare facilities be implemented.
They called for urgent reforms in the health sector to prevent a recurrence of such crises.
In response, the minister assured that the government and UCH management would address the root causes of the outage.
He promised a permanent solution, stating that the institution would soon be reconnected by IBEDC.
The IBEDC disconnected UCH from the national grid on 27 October due to accumulated debts.
READ ALSO: UCH in Darkness: Ibadan Indigenes Demand FG Action on Persistent Power Outages
The hospital has been without electricity since November 2024 after the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) disconnected it from the national grid over an outstanding debt.
The blackout follows the disconnection of the hospital from the national grid by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over an outstanding debt of N495 million.
The minister, Adelabu, on Monday met with the hospital management for an urgent intervention, citing the need for a sustainable solution to prevent similar crises in the future.
