The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has issued a 78-hour deadline to the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) to reconnect the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, after what it described as an “irresponsible and dangerous” power disconnection.

Addressing journalists on Friday, the Financial Secretary of NANS Zone E, Muhammad Garba, condemned the outage, warning that cutting electricity to a major health facility poses serious risks, especially as the hospital undergoes significant reforms and infrastructure upgrades.

Garba said the association was shocked that power to such an essential institution could be severed “at a time the hospital is making remarkable strides towards global healthcare standards.”

“This disconnection is not only irresponsible but dangerous,” he said. “It disrupts crucial medical procedures, jeopardizes patient care, and endangers the entire Gombe community.”

He praised the hospital management for recent improvements in transparency, modernization, and service delivery, arguing that “no external body should undermine these achievements through arbitrary actions.”

NANS faulted JEDC for what it called insensitivity in handling institutions providing critical social services, insisting that hospitals and schools should never be treated as regular revenue customers.

“Hospitals and academic institutions are essential public service providers,” Garba stated. “JEDC must adopt more responsible approaches to resolving payment issues instead of actions that put innocent lives at risk.”

The student body called on the Gombe State Government to intervene by engaging the Federal Ministries of Power and Health, as well as security agencies, to ensure the immediate restoration of electricity. It also urged security operatives to closely monitor the situation to prevent tension or breakdown of order.

NANS warned that failure by JEDC to comply within 78 hours would trigger widespread student mobilization and other lawful measures.

“If power is not restored, we will mobilize students and civil society groups to demand accountability,” Garba said. “The lives and safety of Nigerians are non-negotiable.”

Reacting to the allegations, the Gombe Head of Corporate Services for JEDC, Musa Abdullahi, said the hospital was disconnected after failing to pay its electricity bills for two consecutive months.

He explained that the facility consumed power worth N42 million in October 2025 and N32.5 million in November but made no payments, adding that its total outstanding arrears stand at N346 million.

“This issue is not peculiar to JEDC,” Abdullahi said. “Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe is a large consumer with significant demand. They didn’t pay for October and November. They are in Band A as a business entity—we can’t be Father Christmas. We disconnected them based on directives.”

On concerns about cutting power to a critical health institution, Abdullahi acknowledged the implications but insisted the company must operate as a business.

“We know it’s a hospital, but we are also a business entity,” he added.