Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, on Monday, February 10, 2025, brokered peace between the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in Oyo State, and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), bringing an end the 102 days power outage in the hospital.
The truce has led to a promise by the distribution company to restore electricity supply to some sections of the hospital within the next 24 to 48 hours.
After a closed-door meeting which lasted about three hours between Adelabu, the Managing Director of IBEDC, Engr Francis Agoha, and the Chief Medical Director of UCH, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, the trio led other top management teams of both institutions, led by the minister to address the media and students.
He described the blackout in the hospital as a national embarrassment, and not only shameful to the management of the hospital or the distribution company but also the federal government.
Adelabu added that the huge debt owed by the hospital is traceable to some factors which include sharp practices, unseparated accounts, dilapidated infrastructure, and equipment,among others.
Adelabu said: “The power crisis in the UCH has gotten to an embarrassing level, not just for the hospital or IBEDC but also to the federal government.
“UCH is the country’s premier Teaching Hospital and it is embarrassing to have the hospital in darkness for that long.
“The issue is on customer-vendor crisis which we expect would have been resolved. I have intervened in the past and the hospital was reconnected to the grid but the issue would come back again. The federal government is not comfortable with the current crisis between UCH and IBEDC.”
The minister however assured that all the issues relating to the crisis have been resolved.
UI students protest UCH blackout
Adelabu also informed the hospital management of federal government’s readiness to see that all medical institutions are electrified, but emphasised that proper budgeting must be done and registered through the Federal Ministry of Health.
Adelabu further disclosed that the federal government has listed both the UCH and University of Ibadan (UI) as beneficiaries of a 50 megawatts solar mini grid which would be completed within the first and second quarter of the year.
He added: “Also, while this is going on, the IBEDC has agreed to restore electricity to some sections of the hospital within 48 hours while N283 million will be settled on an instalment basis.
“The management of the UCH has agreed on immediate settlement of the debt on instalment payment which is going to be between 8-12 months in addition to the current bill.”
Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of the IBEDC confirmed the gradual restoration of electricity to sections of the hospital.
Agoha said his team would be meeting with the UCH team to work on the modalities, adding that the time frame for the reconnection is dependent on how quickly the issues around abuse, energy theft, and misuse were addressed.
Also speaking, Otegbayo said the outstanding debt of the hospital which is to the tune of N283.8million was cumulative of electricity usage at the College of Medicine, hostels among other facilities within the premises.
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