UI Students Protest 82-Day Power Outage at UCH
Students of the University of Ibadan (UI) on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest in response to the ongoing 82-day power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
The students gathered early Wednesday morning to express their frustration with the prolonged power disruption at the hospital, which serves as the teaching hospital for medical students from UI.
UCH has been without power since March 2024 due to outstanding debts owed to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). The power supply was first disconnected in November 2023 for the same reason, and despite months of waiting, the situation remains unresolved.
Led by the President of the University’s Students’ Union, Bolaji Aweda, the protesters voiced their concerns, emphasizing how the ongoing power outage is directly affecting the medical training of UI students.
“We are protesting against what is happening. Our students are directly impacted by this issue,” Aweda stated. “For 82 days, there has been no electricity at UCH, all because of the hospital’s failure to settle its electricity bill. IBEDC has made it clear that power will not be restored until the debt is cleared,” he added.
The protest is a response to the hardship faced by students who rely on the hospital’s facilities for practical training. With UCH’s power supply cut off, students have expressed concern over the impact on their education and the quality of healthcare services provided at the hospital.
Despite repeated appeals, the electricity company has maintained that the debt must be paid before any reconnection can take place, leaving the students and staff of the hospital in a prolonged state of uncertainty.
