“You like to see the injured and take them (patients) to the morgue. My family and I cannot go to the morgue. Whether you like it or not, if that is your plan, it will not work,” lamented Abiola Bolaji, a mother whose sick daughter, who is dependent on an oxygen machine, is suffering due to the lack of electricity at the Sokenu State Hospital in Ijaiye, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
“There is no electricity and no ventilator. I am referring in particular to the emergency treatment room (ETR). You cannot imagine what my daughter, who was on an oxygen machine, had to suffer after I paid over ₦200,000,” Bolaji said.
Visiting the state hospital to have her daughter admitted for treatment, she said she felt disappointed after spending almost a week at the facility with her daughter.
“Everything smelled bad, the speed at which the smell came out was not good. I took my daughter last Tuesday and until now we have no water or electricity,” she said angrily.
According to her, although small-capacity generators were used to power the hospital facilities, “they were not sufficient to power the oxygen machines and ventilators and provide water.”
Another small capacity generator put into operation to supply power to the facilities
“We had no electricity and since it was a small generator there was no fan to use,” he added.
Facing these problems just a week after her daughter was admitted to the state hospital, she said she tried to lodge a complaint with the hospital authorities.
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“I called the director of this hospital, but he refused to take my call. I wonder why he is the director. I also called the health administrative staff, and they refused to take my call until a certain Mr. Idris pleaded and said that they would find a way out.”
He said the state hospital should be closed to avoid endangering the lives of patients.
Lack of reliable electricity is one of the problems facing patients and staff at the Sokenu State Hospital in Abeokuta.
In Nigeria, electricity is a major problem that has not yet been resolved by the state and federal governments.
In 2024 alone, the national grid suffered six collapses, leading to significant drops in electricity generation and blackouts across the country, exacerbating problems in the health sector.
The grid failed on February 4, February 15, April 4 and April 15, resulting in significant drops in electricity generation.
This is despite massive federal government funding of the energy sector, which is dashing the country's hopes for a stable electricity supply.
Hospital
However, in 2021, UDEME learnt that the state government of Dapo Abiodun allocated ₦31.8 million to procure a 250 KVA generator and two Fireman ECO12990E generators to power Sokenu Hospital.
An additional ₦32.1 million was budgeted in 2022, totalling ₦63.9 million for project completion.
A sum of ₦12 million was also budgeted to maintain the generator sets in 2021.
UDEME discovered that these generators are abandoned and broken without maintenance, forcing the hospital to use small generators to supply large facilities.
During the journalist's visit, around eight small generators were installed in various departments of the hospital.
High capacity generators abandoned
Patients complain
To confirm whether these generators were used to power high-tech facilities like oxygen machines as claimed by Ms Bolaji, this reporter visited the ETR and found no alteration of the truth in her claim.
Patients were seen crowded from the entrance to the inner parts of the ETR. Some were using oxygen, while others were struggling to breathe.
An elderly man was seen in a bed struggling to breathe, making a loud sound with each breath.
Comfort Adebayo recounts a harrowing experience.
Ms Adebayo said her son's emergency treatment was delayed due to a power outage, leaving her terrified and wondering how a hospital could operate without reliable electricity.
She said the power went out just after her son was brought into the lab. “I could hear them looking for flashlights. I was terrified. How can a hospital not have reliable electricity?”
“My son was in critical condition. The delay caused by the blackout could have cost him his life. This time we were lucky, but what about next time? How many more families will have to endure this nightmare?” she stressed.
“My father has been here for several days and it has been very hard. The small generators cannot run the machines properly. Sometimes we have to fan him manually because there is no electricity. It is heartbreaking,” said another relative of a patient who asked to be identified simply as Johnson.
The generators are not in good condition — Official
Senior hospital officials declined to comment when contacted by the reporter.
But an official from the hospital's maintenance department, who did not want his name published, confirmed that the project had been carried out and the generators had been delivered.
Maintenance officers fixing a faulty generator
However, according to the officer, “the generators are not in good condition because they are not maintained.”
“Fireman’s generators are still working. However, the 250 KVA generator has broken down and is not being used.”
The officer added: “Fire generators have problems almost all the time, but they are still manageable.”
The official also said that the generators had not yet been properly maintained, leaving room for frequent breakdowns.
Calls to government action
Meanwhile, residents near the hospital have called on the government to address the power issues affecting the hospital.
Tunde Adedayo, a resident, stressed how unacceptable the problem is, adding that it has the potential risk of endangering the lives of patients.
“It is unacceptable that despite the huge sums allocated to generators, patients continue to suffer.”
He said: “The government needs to look into this issue and ensure that the funds are used properly and that regular maintenance is done on these generators. We need accountability and transparency in this process.”
Another resident, Bola Ajayi, stressed the importance of health for human beings. She added: “We cannot afford to lose more lives due to negligence. The health of our community should be a priority.”
Some respondents advised the government to use solar energy to power the powerful machines, adding that once done, it would reduce the cost of fuel and maintenance.
They urged the government to take immediate steps to resolve the electricity problems at the Sokenu State Hospital and other healthcare facilities in the state.
We are not aware of the crisis – Ogun Health Commissioner
UDEME contacted the state health commissioner, Tomi Coker.
He revealed that “the State needed to be made aware of the crisis facing the hospital and had not been informed” until the time of presenting this report.
“I am not aware of this and the provision of electricity is the responsibility of the Energy Office. I cannot comment on this because I have no information,” Ms Coker said.
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However, he said the Director General of the state hospital would be summoned by the Permanent Secretary (PS) of the Hospital Management Board (HMB) to give his report before further steps are taken to resolve the issues.
A small capacity generator is seen in operation