.As Adelabu orders restoration of electricity within 48hrs.
From: Joseph Okwuofu, Ibadan.
The power outage at the University College Hospital ( UCH) on Monday took a new twist as scores of Students of the University of Ibadan College of Medicine protested over the continued disconnection of electricity supply by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company ( IBEDC) over huge debt.
Amidst the protest that rocked the premises of the hospital, came the good news from the Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu who ordered immediate restoration of power supply to the hospital within 48 hours.
The students expressed their grievances, saying they were tired of the over 100-day power outage at UCH.
The Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu was in Ibadan to address the crisis of power in hospital.
The Minister and the IBEDC management later visited the hospital over the lingering power outage while the protest lasted.
The students displayed placards with inscriptions such as “We are tired of 100 days of darkness; Save UCH” among others.
It’s 100-days of power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH) which has brought medical services and training to a halt.
This crisis has severely affected medical activities and learning.
The lack of electricity makes it impossible for medical personnel to work efficiently, compromising patient care.
Moreover, medical students require electricity for essential activities like reading and research, which is currently not available possible.
To make matters worse, Lecturers in the Medical School have been on strike since December 2024, denying students the opportunity to take exams and graduate.
Incoming students are unable to move into hostels or commence their training due to lack of space and resources.
This challenge has brought the Medical Education system to its knees.
To the aggrieved students, the government must take immediate action to address these issues, prioritizing healthcare and education sectors to prevent further damage to the system.
They further insisted that the minister must bring solutions to the outage, which, they said, had been disrupting their academic and clinical activities.
The Student Union President, Bolaji Aweda, says the union demands immediate restoration of power to UCH.
According to him, the students also demand that the 50 per cent waiver the government promised to tertiary healthcare facilities be implemented.
They also requested for an urgent reformation of the health sector among others.
In his response, the minister assured that the government and the UCH management team would look into the real issues and causes of the power outage.
He promised to proffer a permanent solution to the situation and that the institution would soon be reconnected by IBEDC, while he ordered the IBEDC to restore power supply to the hospital within 48 hours.
IBEDC disconnected UCH from the national grid on Oct. 27 due to accumulated debts.
