On Wednesday morning, students from the College of Medicine at the University College Hospital (UCH) held a peaceful protest to draw attention to the ongoing power outage at the hospital. The protest, supported by the University of Ibadan (UI) Students’ Union (SU), started at 7:00 a.m. and highlighted the dire situation affecting students and healthcare services.
The Students’ Union President, Bolaji Aweda, explained that the protest was triggered by the failure of the UCH and UI managements to resolve the issue within the seven-day ultimatum they had previously given. Aweda accused the hospital management of engaging in power plays, and said the blackout, which had lasted for over 82 days, was severely impacting both the living conditions and academic performance of the students.
“Our demand is the immediate restoration of power to UCH and other hospitals facing similar issues,” Aweda stated. “We also want the implementation of the 50% electricity tariff discount announced by the Ministry of Power in August 2024 and reforms in the healthcare sector. If UCH, the leading healthcare institution in Nigeria, is struggling like this, it’s alarming to think about the state of other hospitals.”
Tobiloba Samuel, the immediate past SU president, added that the union had already attempted to resolve the issue through consultations with the UCH and UI managements, but had received no positive response. He also pointed out that the root cause of the problem stemmed from the new power sector policy, which had made electricity unaffordable for both educational and healthcare institutions.
“We were informed that the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) is demanding payment of half of the N3.78 million owed before the hospital can be reconnected. It’s unclear how they expect the hospital to pay this,” Samuel said. “We are urging the Ministry of Education, the Federal Government, and all relevant stakeholders to intervene and prevent further damage to UCH and other institutions in similar situations.”
Despite the presence of security officers, there was no official from the UCH management to address the protesters. The Chairman of the UCH Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), Mr. Oladayo Olabampe, was unaware of the protest and stated that no union at UCH was involved.
The students, who wore black tops in solidarity, eventually marched to UI in protest.
The Students Forum Nigeria serves as the ultimate hub for Nigerian students, fostering academic growth, social engagement, and knowledge sharing.
