Makinde’s Aide accuses Oyo APC of politicising UCH-IBEDC face-off, darkness
By Ismail Azeez
Special Adviser on Media to the Oyo State Governor, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of politicising the ongoing dispute between the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), attributing the root cause of the issue to the Federal Government’s failure.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Olanrewaju criticised the APC for attempting to gain political leverage from a situation that he believes should not be used for partisan purposes.
He pointed out that the problem was not caused by the Oyo State Government, but rather by the Federal Government’s failure to honour its promise to subsidise electricity costs for hospitals.
“The Federal Government failed to live up to its commitment to subsidise electricity for hospitals,” Olanrewaju stated.
“This issue should not be politicised by the APC, who, instead of addressing the issue responsibly, are choosing to blame the Oyo State Government for a problem created by the insensitivity of the Federal Government.”
He further recalled that in August 2024, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, had publicly announced that the Federal Government would subsidise electricity in teaching hospitals following the categorisation of electricity users into bands.
“That was six months ago. The question is: Has the Federal Government fulfilled its promise?” Olanrewaju asked, stressing that the APC should not deflect responsibility for the issue.
Olanrewaju also questioned whether the APC would take similar actions to resolve potential disputes between other federal teaching hospitals and their respective electricity distribution companies.
He specifically referenced the possibility of future conflicts between the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Eko Distribution Company, and between the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital and its local electricity supplier.
“After the Minister has intervened in the UCH-IBEDC face-off, will he go to Lagos to resolve the issue between LUTH and Eko Disco? Or go to Maiduguri to plead with the electricity distribution company not to disconnect the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital?” Olanrewaju asked. “Governance is a much more serious business than this. It’s for people with genuine solutions, not for jesters who are merely seeking to create political drama.”
Olanrewaju emphasised that the Oyo State Government does not engage in superficial solutions but seeks to address the root causes of issues to achieve lasting results.
“In Oyo State, we don’t paper over the cracks; we go to the roots of issues to get permanent solutions,” he asserted.