University Of Ibadan Medical Students Protest 100-Day Power Outage at UCH

Students of the University Of Ibadan College Of Medicine in Oyo State have taken to the streets to protest the prolonged power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

On Monday, they stormed the hospital, expressing frustration over the lack of electricity for over 100 days.

The Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) management were at UCH during the demonstration.

The students displayed placards with inscriptions such as “We are tired of 100 days of darkness; Save UCH” and insisted that the minister must resolve the crisis, which they said had disrupted their academic and clinical activities.

The Student Union President, Bolaji Aweda, stated, “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 further 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.

Meanwhile, it was earlier reported on how patients at UCH, Ibadan endured severe discomfort and risk to their health due to a prolonged power outage that has persisted for four months.

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.

It was reported that Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has met with the management of the UCH, Ibadan.