However, students say the situation remains unchanged, severely impacting their studies, research, and healthcare services at the teaching hospital.
Students of the University of Ibadan (UI) College of Medicine staged a protest on Thursday at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, demanding an end to a power outage that has lasted for over 100 days.
The demonstration comes just two days after the Minister of Power, Chief Bayo Adelabu, assured the public that electricity would be restored to the institution.
However, students say the situation remains unchanged, severely impacting their studies, research, and healthcare services at the teaching hospital.
Chanting slogans such as “We need power to study” and “100 days of darkness, enough is enough!” the students marched to UCH with placards bearing messages like “Give us light or else” and “Save UCH.”
Some of the protesting students, decried the hardship caused by the prolonged blackout.
“We cannot continue like this. We are medical students and healthcare providers in training, yet we are forced to study under terrible conditions. Our hostels and laboratories are in darkness, and even the hospital is struggling,” they said.
However, despite repeated assurances from the Nigerian government officials, students say there has been no concrete action to resolve the crisis.
They have vowed to continue protests until the electricity is restored.
When the media contacted Funmi Adetuyibi, the Public Relations Officer and Chief Information Officer at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Ibadan, she stated that UCH had electricity.
“UCH has electricity; it is the students’ hall that has no electricity,” she said.
Previously, it was reported that the minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, assured that electricity supply would be restored to clinical areas of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, within the next 24 to 48 hours.
This intervention followed a SaharaReporters’ exposé on the prolonged power outage that had plagued the hospital since last year.
Adelabu, alongside the Managing Director of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Engr. Francis Agoha, visited the hospital’s management at its boardroom on Monday to discuss solutions to the power crisis.
During the meeting, the minister confirmed that while UCH’s clinical sections would soon regain power, the College of Medicine and commercial entities within the hospital will need to independently engage IBEDC for reconnection.
He also disclosed that UCH had agreed to settle its N283 million electricity debt in instalments over the next nine to twelve months, while keeping up with current bill payments.
According to Adelabu, the Nigerian government was working on building a 50 MGW mini grid through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) project for phase 2 scheduled for 3rd quarter or 4th quarter of 2025 for the University of Ibadan and the UCH.
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