The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, is installing a new 11kV electricity substation as it works to restore power from the national grid to its main hospital by Wednesday, November 11.
UCH said installation of the replacement substation had reached 60 per cent completion as of Monday, with system commissioning and restoration of primary grid power projected for Wednesday.
In a progress update published on its Facebook page, the hospital said the old substation was decommissioned on Friday, November 6, while installation of the new equipment began on Saturday.
Generators are currently being used to power critical areas of the hospital while the installation work continues.
“System commissioning and final restoration of primary grid power to the main hospital are projected for Wednesday, November 11, 2026,” the hospital said.
The development comes against the backdrop of recurring electricity problems at the federal government-owned hospital, which have affected operations and triggered industrial action by healthcare workers.
UCH has not stated the specific technical or operational reasons for replacing the old substation.
It also remains unclear whether the new installation is intended to address electricity problems affecting areas outside the main hospital, particularly the College of Medicine axis, which has experienced a separate prolonged power crisis.
Residents doctors at UCH embarked on a three-day warning strike in October over persistent electricity failures and water shortages around the College of Medicine area.
The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), UCH, demanded immediate restoration of electricity, repairs to faulty circuit breakers and reliable power supply across the hospital.
The doctors suspended the industrial action on October 15 and directed members to resume work, but maintained pressure on management to resolve the infrastructure problems.
The association had warned that failure to address its demands could result in further industrial action.
According to reports at the time, the College of Medicine axis had suffered prolonged outages after a circuit breaker supplying the area became faulty in January 2026.
Resident doctors said the affected area was subsequently left without reliable electricity, contributing to chronic water shortages because of the dependence of water systems on electricity.
Current efforts to install a new substation are also linked to a longer-running electricity crisis at UCH.
In October 2024, the hospital was disconnected from the national grid by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over an outstanding electricity bill.
UCH management said at the time that its accumulated electricity debt was about N3.1 billion, although it had paid a substantial portion of the amount.
The 2024 disconnection resulted in prolonged disruption to hospital operations and raised concerns among doctors, patients, students and other workers about the effect of unreliable electricity on healthcare delivery.
Subsequent interventions eventually led to reconnection of the hospital to the national grid.
