Angry Students Protest Over 82-Day Power Outage In UCH

Students of the University of Ibadan in Oyo State have staged a peaceful protest against the power outage that has lasted for 82 days at the University College Hospital, UCH.
UCH Ibadan is a teaching hospital where medical students from the UI are trained. The teaching hospital has been experiencing power outages since last year due to its debt to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
Speaking at a press conference, Bolaji Aweda, president of the UIS Student Government Association, said the power outage is persistent and has disrupted academic activities at the hospital and on campus.
Awed said the power outage is a power play between the IBEDC and UCH authorities. The power outage has been going on for more than 82 days now, and for more than two months there have been no lights at the University Hospital, affecting the lives of the students,” he said. ‘We are out on the streets today because the power is out,’ he added.
We have contacted the school administration on numerous occasions. This is a kind of power play between the management of University College and the University of Ibadan.” Elsewhere, the SUG president said the demand of the protesting students is “the immediate restoration of lighting to University College Hospital and hospitals across Nigeria that are currently facing the same power outage.
He also called for the implementation of the 50% tariff discount announced by the Federal Ministry of Electricity in 2024 and the revamping of the country’s health sector. Student leader Sunday Tobilola said that behind the peaceful protest was a series of engagements with stakeholders to resolve the issue. He also stated that if they failed to resolve the power issue, they would take full action to fulfill their demands. The peaceful protesters then moved from the university to the governor’s office at the Secretariat in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. At the secretariat, Sunday Odukoya, Executive Assistant to Governor Seyi Makinde on Security, welcomed the demonstrators. He assured the demonstrators that the state government would liaise with the federal government to find a solution to the crisis.