Hundreds of students from the University of Ibadan (UI), Oyo State, took to the streets in a peaceful protest on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, to voice their frustration over the ongoing 82-day power outage at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
UCH, the teaching hospital where UI medical students receive training, has been facing severe disruptions due to a prolonged power cut. The hospital’s power supply was first disconnected by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in March 2024 due to unpaid electricity bills. A similar power disconnection occurred in November 2023, and despite efforts, the situation remains unresolved, leaving the hospital without electricity for nearly three months.
The protest, led by the President of the University of Ibadan Students’ Union (SU), Bolaji Aweda, saw students marching through the campus early in the morning, demanding that the hospital settle its debts with IBEDC to restore power.
Aweda expressed the deep impact of the outage on the students, especially those in medical programs. “For 82 days, there has been no light at UCH, and this is due to the inability of UCH to pay its electricity bill to IBEDC,” he said. “IBEDC has demanded that UCH settle its debt before they will restore power.”
The students have called on the hospital management and relevant authorities to address the power issue urgently to avoid further disruption of academic and medical training activities. The protest highlights the growing frustration among students, as the outage has directly affected their education and clinical experience at the hospital.
