IBEDC pledges to restore power to UCH in 48 hours

• Medical students stage protest before minister
• Aggrieved DisCo workers seek FG’s intervention over poor welfare

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), yesterday, resolved to restore electricity supply to “some sections” of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, within 48 hours after 108 days of darkness in the institution.

IBEDC’s position was part of the resolutions of a meeting held, yesterday, with the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; management of the UCH, led by the Chief Medical Director (CMD), Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, and the IBEDC, led by its Managing Director, Francis Agoha, at the Conference Room of the hospital.

Meanwhile, angry medical students of the College of Medicine, University of Ibadan (UI) staged a peaceful protest outside the venue of the meeting.

The medical students, on their part, were demanding immediate restoration of power supply to all the sections of the hospital.

The protesting students described the situation on the campus as unbearable.

The aggrieved students, whose protest attracted several many staff of the college, told journalists that medical, learning and commercial activities had been paralysed within the dark period, as they also said that some patients had been withdrawn from the hospital to private facilities due to lack of inappropriate medical attention because of unavailability of power.

But the Minister of Power, while briefing the newsmen on the outcome of the tripartite meeting, said all the issues relating to the lingering power crisis had been resolved.

Adelabu, who described the lingering crisis as not only embarrassing to the management of the hospital but also to the Federal Government, said that the humongous debt being owed by the hospital is traceable to some factors, which include sharp practices, unseparated accounts, dilapidated infrastructure and equipment, among other.

The minister also decried previous practice of lump electricity bills in UCH, saying that all the sectors, including the clinical services, College of Medicine and the commercial outlets must operate different accounts.

Also, Agoha confirmed the gradual restoration of electricity to sections of the hospital.

He said his team would be meeting with the UCH team to work on the modalities.

IN another development, theaggrieved workers of IBEDC, yesterday, vowed not to back down on their protest until the rightful condition of service and welfare package were met.

The workers, who also appealed to the Federal Government to intervene in what they described as poor condition of service, threatened that the protest would continue until their request was met.