The 68 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital, Yaba (68 NARHY) in Lagos State is currently experiencing a power outage due to the humongous electricity bill owed by the military health facility leading to disconnection, SaharaReporters has gathered.
The hospital is situated on Abbey Street, Myhoung Barracks, Yaba, in the Mainland Local Government Area of the state.
According to multiple sources, the medical facility was three weeks ago thrown into blackout due to the management’s failure to settle outstanding bills running
to millions of Naira in favour of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company Plc (EKEDC).
The blackout, SaharaReporters learnt, has caused the death of some patients as health practitioners now run skeletal and emergency services only.
Corpses kept at the facility’s morgue are also said to be decaying.
“The Nigerian Army Reference Hospital Yaba Lagos, has been in darkness for 3 weeks and two days now. Reason being inability of the Nigerian Army to pay electricity bill,” one of the sources revealed.
“Before now, we had light but the Chief Medical Director, Corps Commander Medical and General Officer Commanding have refused to pay. The mortuary has no light, dead bodies have decayed. However, soldiers and officers’ money is being deducted directly for NEPA bills.”
Another source added, “Currently, most health personnel have been unable to carry out their duties including medical tests, leading to death of some patients.
“Everywhere around the morgue now smell cause of electricity to ice the dead bodies. The air is thick with stench, everywhere mangy.”
Calls put across by SaharaReporters to Colonel GS Ogoh, Chief Medical Doctor of the hospital were not picked nor returned. A text message also sent to his line was not replied as at the time of this report.
SaharaReporters has done several reports detailing how corruption in the army ranks impaired the operations of the service, with the Nigerian Army authorities always swift to deny such allegations.
SaharaReporters had in October 2023, for example, reported that Nigerian soldiers attached to the 33 Artillery Brigade in Bauchi State called for the removal of their commander, accusing him of starving troops executing Operation Flush Out in the state.
The soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters, on condition of anonymity over fear of victimisation, said they had been spending all their salaries on feeding, which they said was at invariance with the operational standard of Nigerian Army Operations.
The soldiers, therefore, called for the immediate intervention of the Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, President Bola Tinubu to address the issue of poor treatment of soldiers sacrificing their lives daily.
According to them, the situation is the reason why some soldiers are involved in criminal activities.