UCH Workers Declare 5-Day Warning Strike Over Persistent Power Outage

Workers at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have announced a five-day warning strike over ongoing electricity challenges that have crippled service delivery at the tertiary hospital. The strike was declared by the Council of UCH Union Leaders (CUUL) and confirmed in a statement signed by Oladayo Olabampe, Co-Chairman of CUUL and Chairman of JAC UCH, and Dr. Uthman Adedeji, Co-Chairman of CUUL and Chairman of ARD-UCH.

The unions noted that the hospital has been without consistent power for 102 days, initially due to disconnection by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). While power has been restored following federal intervention, the hospital management has allegedly restricted electricity supply to service delivery areas and residential quarters. Workers said this internal rationing has severely affected operations, endangering patients and staff, and undermining the hospital’s efficiency.

“Patients who should receive care are being turned away. Procedures are referred elsewhere. Lives hang in the balance. A teaching hospital in 2026 is being forced to operate like a facility from a bygone era,” the statement said. The unions also warned that the hospital is losing millions of naira daily in internally generated revenue due to the power rationing, threatening its financial sustainability.

The health workers emphasized that the strike is not for personal gain but to safeguard patient safety, institutional survival, and professional dignity. They called on the Federal Ministries of Health and Power, as well as the Federal Government, to urgently intervene and resolve the crisis.

“This five-day warning strike has become inevitable. We appeal to well-meaning Nigerians to stand with us. A nation cannot strengthen its healthcare system while its premier institutions operate in darkness,” the statement concluded.