Contrary to certain reports making the rounds, the University College Hospital, Ibadan, still remains in darkness as the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) is yet to reconnect the Hospital to the main grid.
As of this report, a vast portion of residential areas, the Alexander Brown Hall and Ayodele Falase Post-Graduate Hall, a considerable number of the wards and the main Hospital complex, and other areas remain without power supply. Sections of the main Hospital complex and areas like the School of Nursing Hostel which are lit, are powered by generators, inverters, and in some cases lit by solar rechargeable bulbs.
Posts from outlets like YabaLeftOnline and gst, as well as a report by insideoyo on commendation from the Oyo caucus of the ruling All Progressives Congress to the Minister for restoring power, offer a distorted view of the nature of the power restoration. There have also been a few ambiguous headlines from major dailies, such as this, leading people to believe power has already been restored.
This is even as UCH heads into the 36-hour mark of the 48 hours deadline for restoration promised by the Honourable Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, following a meeting with the Hospital Management, IBEDC MD, and other relevant stakeholders.
Earlier today, the University of Ibadan Students’ Union had put out a statement ‘rejecting partial power restoration to UCH’. According to the statement, signed by the Union’s President, Aweda Bolaji, and General Secretary, Ogundijo Japheth, there had been a revelation that despite the concessions made following the meeting with the Minister yesterday, 10th February 2025, ‘there is a deliberate attempt to reconnect power selectively – excluding hostel accommodations for [our] student doctors, including Alexander Brown Hall and Ayodele Falase Hall’.
The statement condemned this supposed action. It further warned that, ‘Any attempt to reconnect the University College Hospital, Ibadan without our hostels will lead to the shutdown of UCH itself’, re-affirming the decision to resume demonstrations by Thursday, 13th February 2025, if the Minister’s promise was not upheld.
It remains to be seen if the 48-hour deadline will be surpassed. More specifically, students await when power will be restored to the Alexander Brown Hall and Ayodele Falase Post-Graduate Hall.
