“UCH’s Power Crisis Finally Addressed: IBEDC to Restore Supply Within 48 Hours”

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has agreed to restore electricity supply to the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, after a prolonged power crisis that has plagued the institution for over a year.

The announcement was made on Monday following a meeting between the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Professor Jesse Otegbayo, and the IBEDC management team led by Managing Director, Francis Agoha. The meeting, part of a tripartite resolution, came in the wake of repeated power outages at the hospital, which were cut off by IBEDC three times in 2024.

In a positive turn of events, IBEDC committed to restoring power supply to the hospital within 48 hours, offering a resolution to the ongoing issue. During the meeting, some medical students staged a protest near the venue, underscoring the intensity of the situation.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Minister Adelabu expressed relief that the long-standing power crisis at UCH had finally been addressed. He referred to the crisis as an embarrassment not only to the hospital management but to the federal government as well.

“The power crisis at UCH has become a source of embarrassment. It is unacceptable for a hospital to remain in total darkness for such an extended period,” he said. “Despite my previous interventions, the problem persisted, but we are now taking action.”

Adelabu pointed out that other teaching hospitals, including the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), University of Calabar, Maiduguri, and Abuja, which had faced similar power issues, managed to overcome them with the help of federal government interventions in the form of solar mini grids.

A similar solution will be implemented at the University of Ibadan and its College of Medicine, with the federal government committing to installing a 50-megawatt solar mini grid. The project is expected to be completed in the first and second quarters of the year.

In the meantime, IBEDC agreed to restore power to various sections of UCH within 48 hours, while an outstanding debt of N283 million will be settled in installments. The hospital’s management has agreed to pay the debt in a plan spread over 8 to 12 months, in addition to covering the current bills.

This resolution brings hope that the persistent power issues at UCH will soon be resolved, marking a significant step in improving healthcare services at the hospital.