University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State staged a peaceful protest on Wednesday to express their frustration over a prolonged power outage that has lasted 82 days.
The demonstration, which commenced at 7:00 a.m., was supported by the University of Ibadan Students Union.
According to The PUNCH, the students Union President, Bolaji Aweda stated that the protest followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum issued to both the UI and UCH management.
Aweda attributed the situation to a power tussle among key stakeholders, emphasizing that the persistent blackout has severely impacted students’ living conditions and academic performance.
“Our demand is straightforward: we want immediate restoration of electricity to UCH and other affected health institutions,” Aweda said.
“We are also calling for the implementation of the 50% electricity tariff reduction announced by the Ministry of Power in August 2024 and comprehensive reforms in Nigeria’s health sector. If UCH, which is Nigeria’s leading healthcare institution, is in this state, one can only imagine the conditions in other facilities across the country.”
Tobiloba Samuel, the immediate past president of the UI Students Union, revealed that previous attempts to address the issue through consultations with UCH and UI management had yielded no results.
He noted that the rising cost of electricity due to new policies in the power sector has rendered electricity unaffordable for both educational and health institutions.
“IBEDC is demanding half of the N3.78 million debt owed before reconnection. It’s unclear how they expect this payment to be made,” Samuel said. “We call on the Ministry of Education, the Federal Government, and other stakeholders to intervene and not only save UCH but also address similar challenges facing other institutions.”
Dressed in black shirts to symbolize their grievances, the students marched to the University of Ibadan after gathering at UCH.
However, no representative from UCH’s management addressed the protesters. Security personnel were present to maintain order.
When contacted, the Chairman of the UCH Joint Health Sector Unions, Oladayo Olabampe, stated that the union was not involved in the protest.
“To the best of my knowledge, no union in UCH is part of this protest. The organizers appear to lack a clear identity,” Olabampe said.
