Students of the College of Medicine at the University College Hospital (UCH) staged a peaceful protest on Wednesday over the prolonged power outage at the hospital.
The protest, which began as early as 7:00 a.m., was supported by the Students Union (SU) of the University of Ibadan (UI). The SU president, Bolaji Aweda, stated that the demonstration followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the management of both UI and UCH.
Aweda revealed that the blackout had persisted for over 82 days, severely impacting students’ living conditions and academic performance. He alleged that internal power struggles among stakeholders contributed to the delay in resolving the issue.
“Our demand is the immediate restoration of power to UCH and other hospitals facing similar challenges,” Aweda said. “We also call for the implementation of the 50% electricity tariff discount announced by the Ministry of Power in August 2024 and comprehensive reforms in Nigeria’s health sector. If UCH, the foremost healthcare hospital in Nigeria, is in this state, one can only imagine the condition of other health institutions.”
Tobiloba Samuel, the immediate past SU president, disclosed that previous efforts to engage UCH and UI managements had been unproductive. He criticized the new power sector policy, which he said made electricity unaffordable for educational and health institutions.
Samuel added that the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) had demanded the payment of half of the N3.78 million owed before reconnecting the hospital.
“We are calling on the Ministry of Education and the Federal Government to intervene urgently to save UCH and other institutions in similar situations,” he stated.
The protest saw students dressed in black tops and later proceeding to the University of Ibadan. Security officers were on hand to prevent any breakdown of law and order.
However, no UCH management official addressed the protesters. The Chairman of UCH Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Mr. Oladayo Olabampe, claimed ignorance of the protest, stating, “The organizers have no identity. I have nothing against it, but no union in UCH is involved to the best of my knowledge.”
The protest ended peacefully, with students vowing to intensify actions if their demands were not met.
