Sequel to the intervention and visit of the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, to the University College Hospital (UCH) on Monday, the management of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has agreed to reconnect the hospital to the national grid within the next 24-42 hours after almost 107 days of blackout.

The management of the teaching hospital and IBEDC had been at each other’s throats since October 2024 over huge debts incurred by the hospital and its inability to meet the N25m per month payment term suggested by the distribution company.

After meeting with the CMD and the Managing Director of IBEDC, Engr Francis Agoha, Chief Adelabu frowned at putting the whole burden on the hospital when three categories consume energy. He also advised the CMD to report any case of energy theft by commercial entities to the EFCC for proper action.

Adelabu said, “The management of IBEDC and UCH have agreed to start an instalment payment. The debt should be cleared between eight to twelve months. We have also agreed on the reconnection of the hospital to the national grid. The lights will be restored within 24-48 hours. We cannot afford darkness to linger.

“There is the issue of lumping together power consumers in UCH. We have the clinical services unit which is the hospital; College of Medicine which belongs to the University of Ibadan the hostel which consumes a reasonable energy, and the residences and the commercial units. UCH is treated as a bulk energy consumer. So, the entire bill is on the UCH. We have to unbundle that.

“We have discussed with IBEDC to let us know the energy bill for the UCH as separated from the College of Medicine and the business community. We learnt that there are six commercial banks within the UCH.

“There is another issue of fraud and energy theft especially by commercial people that are in the hospital. It is an economic crime that is not taken lightly by the Federal Government. Anyone engaging in that should be reported to the EFCC to do their job”, he said.

Confirming what the minister had said on the restoration of power to the hospital, the MD of IBEDC, Francis Agoha noted, “We want to ensure that energy is well accounted for.

“We have also agreed on a payment plan to ensure energy is well managed because we know energy is a very scarce commodity now. We are collaborating with our customer care so that the case of energy theft is dealt with.

“We are open to reconnect the power within the next 24-48 hours. We will continue to work collaboratively with the hospital management”, he stressed.

Earlier, the CMD, Prof Otegbayo, discussed the temporary measures he had taken to cushion the effects of the power outage by making provision of solar inverters to emergency areas of the hospital, saying, “We have installed solar inverters to major areas in the hospital such as Intensive Care Unit, Children’s Emergency Ward, Endoscopic Unit, Cardiac unit and others.

“All these wards have solar inverters to provide energy so that the wards and patients will not be in darkness. Our short-term measures will continue to stabilize the emergency areas. Some of our underground cables have been there for more than 50 years. That is not within the budget of the hospital. But, the public doesn’t know what we are passing through”, he said.

Meanwhile, students of the University of Ibadan led by the President, of the Students Union, Mr Aweda Bolaji, confronted the Minister and
staged a peaceful protest over the power cut. They called for immediate restoration of power.