Power outage: UCH doctors begin indefinite strike

In a bid to press home their demands, the Association of Resident Doctors at the University College Hospital (UCH), in Ibadan, Oyo State, has embarked on an indefinite strike over power outage affecting some of the hospital’s residential areas.

Persecondnews recalls that in a communiqué issued earlier, the association had warned that its members would embark on the strike if electricity was not restored by 4 p.m. on Monday.

The Association’s General Secretary, Dr. Uthman Adedeji, said in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, on Monday that although electricity had been restored, only some sections of the residential quarters had been reconnected.

He said: “Arising from the just-concluded Emergency General Meeting of ARD UCH which was convened to appraise the current situation, it was observed that a part of the residential quarters were reconnected.

“Some other parts were however left in darkness. In the light of the prevailing circumstance, we are left with no other option than to embark on the earlier planned total and indefinite strike until all residential quarters are sorted (taken care of).

“We acknowledge the efforts of the UCH Management towards meeting our demand, but a lot needs to be done to guarantee uninterrupted service delivery.”

Adedeji assured that the association would regularly review the current situation affecting the welfare of its members.

Persecondnews had reported that it took the intervention of the Minister of Power, Dr. Adebayo Adelabu for the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company(IBEDC) to reconnect light to UCH on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, after 100 days of blackout.

The decision was reached at a meeting held on Monday, February 10 with 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 hospital at the behest of the minister.

IBEDC had on October 26, 2024, disconnected the facility over a staggering debt of N495 million.

The power crisis facing the hospital became complicated following the categorisation of the tertiary institution into Band A electricity tariff structure by IBEDC which requires it to pay N80 million monthly.