The Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, on Monday met with protesting students of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, over the ongoing power outage at the hospital.
The hospital has been without power since October 2024 after the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company disconnected it from the national grid over an alleged unpaid debt of about N500 million.
Angry over the prolonged blackout, students staged a peaceful protest, demanding the immediate reconnection of the hospital and the implementation of a 50% tariff reduction they claimed the Minister had earlier promised.
The protesters carried placards with messages like: “100 Days of Darkness: Save UCH,” “Medical School Is Hard Enough—Give Us Light,” and “All We Are Saying, Give Us Light.”
Addressing the students, Adelabu urged them to remain calm and allow for dialogue to resolve the issue. “I understand your frustration. Power is critical in a hospital environment, and we are working to find a lasting solution. Please allow discussions to continue peacefully,” he said.
Adelabu, alongside the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof. Abiodun Otegbayo, and the Managing Director of IBEDC, Francis Agoha, held a meeting at the hospital’s boardroom to find a way forward.
The Minister assured the students and hospital management that efforts were underway to reconnect UCH to the power grid soon. “We are committed to restoring power to UCH as quickly as possible while addressing the financial issues between the hospital and IBEDC,” Adelabu added.
