Maiduguri Teaching Hospital spends N67m on diesel monthly — CMD

Professor Ahmed Ahidjo, the Chief Medical Director of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), says said the hospital spend between N40  to N67 million on diesel.

Ahidjo made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Maiduguri.

He said since the  transmission line supplying power to Maiduguri  was destroyed in January 2021 by insrgents, the hospital depends largely on generators for its operations.

”The single most costly item among all the expenditure of this hospital is diesel. Averagely we spent between N40  to N67.5million monthly on diesel and the gross revenue generation for the hospital is averagely N40m.

“So, that means diesel alone takes up everything and we cannot even pay get other consumables and drugs that we need to run the hospital which is averagely about N58m monthly,” Ahidjo said.

He urged well-meaning individuals and organisations to come to the aid of the hospital.

The CMD who lauded Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno for the efforts made to address the power challenge facing Maiduguri and environs, urged the Federal Government to hasten work on the approved 50mw Maiduguri gas power plant station.

He explained that the teaching hospital has conducted the bidding for the installation of solar-powered security lights.

More than 10 years, several power installations have been destroyed by the insurgents.

As of September 2021, the federal government puts the cost of vandalised transmission equipment in Maiduguri, the Borno capital, at N1.7 billion.

The federal government has begun the replacement of electricity supply equipment destroyed by insurgents in Maiduguri on Jan. 17, 2021.

Maiduguri and the surrounding communities were thrown into total darkness after suspected members of the Boko Haram sect attacked an electricity tower supplying power to the city and disconnecting it from the national grid.

Specifically, the 330kV transmission line between Maiduguri and Damaturu was affected by the attack while the Damboa – Maiduguri 132kV transmission line was equally disconnected from the grid.

However, a statement issued yesterday by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), noted that with the support of the Borno Government, all the needed resources have been mobilised to the area to ensure quick restoration of electricity supply.