The major opposition political party in Oyo State, All Progressives Congress (APC), and the state government are currently at loggerheads over the lingering electricity crisis at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
It was gathered that UCH has been experiencing an electricity crisis for the past year.
Our correspondent learned that Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) cut off the electricity supply at UCH in March 2024 due to accumulated debts.
The electricity distribution company also disconnected the power supply a few months later.
It was gathered that IBEDC disconnected electricity supply at UCH again on October 27, 2024.
This led medical students and other students of the University of Ibadan to organize a peaceful protest against the development.
Our correspondent learned that the power outage at UCH prompted the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, to visit the hospital to resolve the matter on Monday.
An agreement was reached among the stakeholders that electricity supply at the hospital would be restored within 48 hours during the meeting with the Minister.
DAILY POST, however, reports that both the APC and the state government are currently at odds over the matter.
The APC, while reacting, described Adelabu’s intervention as a testament to the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to its Renewed Hope agenda aimed at making life better for the citizenry.
The major opposition political party made this declaration via a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare.
Sadare, in the statement made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday, regretted that the state government under the leadership of Engineer Seyi Makinde turned a blind eye to the tertiary health institution which mostly serves the people of the state.
“It is a thing of joy that the Minister visited Ibadan yesterday with a magic wand and all issues between the managements of UCH and IBEDC were amicably resolved as reports have it that power supply has been restored now.
“Interestingly, the rescue mission which brought the Minister of Power and his team to Ibadan yesterday was not all about brokering peace between the managements of UCH and the electricity distribution company.
“With this development, the age-long erratic power supply crisis which the three institutions have had to battle would become a thing of the past and the hope of betterment would be renewed.”
But the state government, in its reaction, described the APC’s statement as unfortunate.
Sulaimon Olanrewaju, the Special Adviser on Media to Governor Seyi Makinde, said that the UCH electricity crisis was not caused by the state government.
Olanrewaju, in the statement issued on behalf of the state government, noted that the electricity crisis at UCH was due to the failure of the Federal Government to live up to its promise of subsidizing the cost of electricity to hospitals.
Olanrewaju further maintained that the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, publicly declared last year that the Federal Government would subsidize electricity in teaching hospitals following the categorization of electricity users into bands.
He added that the Federal Government is yet to fulfill its promise six months after it was made.
Olanrewaju, in the statement made available to DAILY POST on Tuesday, urged the APC not to blame the state government for the electricity crisis at the hospital.
“It is unfortunate that the APC is so shameless that it is thumping its chest on the issue of UCH-IBEDC imbroglio instead of covering its face in shame. But we are not surprised because APC will play politics with anything, even the agony and pains of the people they were elected to serve.
“The fact is that the problem at UCH was not caused by the Oyo State Government. Rather, it was due to the failure of the Federal Government to live up to its promise of subsidizing the cost of electricity to hospitals.
“Last year August, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, publicly declared that the Federal Government would subsidize electricity in teaching hospitals following the categorization of electricity users into bands.
“That was six months ago. The question to ask is, has the Federal Government fulfilled its promise? So, why should the APC now choose to blame Oyo State Government for a problem created by the insensitivity of the Federal Government? Had the Federal Government fulfilled its promise of subsidizing its own institution as it promised, would UCH be in this state?
“Now, shall we ask the APC that after the Minister has intervened in the UCH-IBEDC face-off, will he also go to Lagos to resolve the issue between LUTH and Eko Disco should there be a problem, or go to Maiduguri to plead with the electricity distribution company not to disconnect the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital?”
DAILYPOST
