UCH Ibadan students protest over ongoing power outage

Students from the College of Medicine at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan staged a peaceful protest on Wednesday morning, voicing their frustration over a prolonged power blackout at the hospital.

The demonstration, which began at 7:00 a.m., was supported by the UCH Students Union (SU) of the University of Ibadan (UI).

Bolaji Aweda, President of the Students Union, explained that the protest followed the expiration of a seven-day ultimatum given to the management of both UI and UCH, demanding action on the power crisis.

Aweda claimed that power struggles between stakeholders had contributed to the situation, which has seen the hospital without electricity for over 82 days.

“The lack of power has severely impacted the living conditions of students and disrupted our academic activities. We can no longer function properly under these conditions,” Aweda said. “Our demand is simple: immediate restoration of power to UCH and other hospitals facing similar issues.”

Aweda also called for the implementation of a 50% electricity tariff discount announced by the Ministry of Power in August 2024, alongside reforms to Nigeria’s health sector. “If UCH, Nigeria’s foremost healthcare institution, is in such a dire situation, it is concerning to think about the state of other health facilities in the country,” he added.

Tobiloba Samuel, the immediate past president of the Students Union, highlighted that prior efforts to engage with UCH and UI management had been unfruitful.

He emphasized that the new power sector policy had made electricity unaffordable for both educational and health institutions.

Samuel revealed that the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) had demanded a partial payment of N3.78 million owed by the hospital before restoring power.

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“We do not understand how they expect the hospital to pay this amount,” he said. “We are calling on the Ministry of Education and other relevant stakeholders to intervene and address this issue, not only for UCH but for other institutions facing similar challenges.”

Despite the presence of security officers at the protest, there were no representatives from the UCH management to address the students.

The protestors, dressed in black tops, later proceeded to the University of Ibadan campus.

When contacted, Mr. Oladayo Olabampe, Chairman of the UCH Joint Health Sector Unions (JOHESU), stated that the union was unaware of the protest. “The organizers have no formal affiliation with any union at UCH, as far as I know,” Olabampe said. “While I have no issue with the protest, it was not endorsed by any union within the hospital.”

The protest underscores the growing concerns regarding inadequate infrastructure in Nigeria’s healthcare and educational sectors, with students and unions calling for urgent reforms and action from the government.