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A group of medical students from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, stormed the venue of a meeting between the Federal Government and top management of University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, on Monday. The students were protesting the over 100 days of total blackout at the premier hospital, which has negatively impacted their academic and clinical activities.¹

The meeting, convened by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, aimed to identify the main problems of power supply at the institution. Led by former UI students’ union president, Samson Samuel, the students expressed frustration and disappointment over the prolonged power outage.

“We are here today to express our displeasure and frustration over the over 100 days of electricity and darkness at the University College Hospital, Ibadan,” said one of the students. “As medical students, we rely heavily on electricity to power our equipment and facilities, but the prolonged power outage has made it impossible for us to carry out our academic and clinical activities effectively.”.

The students demanded a timeline for implementing the 50% electricity tariff discount promised by the federal government for tertiary hospitals. They also called for the immediate restoration of power at UCH, which has been experiencing electricity darkness for an extended period.

Another student, Tobi, lamented the negative impact of the power outage on the hospital’s services. “The power outage has not only affected our academic activities, but it has also had a negative impact on the hospital’s services. Surgeries and other critical medical procedures have been cancelled due to the lack of electricity, which has put the lives of patients at risk”.

The students insisted on speaking directly with the Minister of Power, refusing to leave until their demands were met. The UI former union’s president stated that the students were determined to get answers and ensure the hospital’s electricity needs were met.

The power outage, which started over 100 days ago, has been blamed on the disconnection of the hospital from the national grid by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over a N200 million debt.

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