CSOs, residents decry exorbitant billing by PHEDC in A’Ibom

The Civil Societies Organisations (CSOs) and residents of Akwa Ibom have decried high estimated billing to customers by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC).

Mr Clifford Thomas, a human rights activist and Director, Foundation for Civic Education, Human Rights and Development Advancement (FoCERaDA) made this known at a news conference in Uyo on Tuesday.

Thomas tasked the electricity distribution companies on the need to ensure that all customers were metred to  guarantee justice and fairness in the billing and pricing of electricity.

According to him, residents frowned at the continued display of impunity arrogance and insensitivity by PHEDC personnel and deliberate refusal to supply metres to customers.

He said that the company was taking undue advantage of the people to force high bills on them instead of providing electricity consumers with prepaid metres to control their energy usage.

“PHEDC has been stealing from the people because they know the people don’t know their rights and very unfortunately the people themselves don’t want to fight for their rights.

“I can’t also tell if they are enjoying the suffering. How can someone who has been paying a bill of N6, 500 before and suddenly PHEDC brought a bill of N45, 000 and you agree to pay, yet you are complaining.

“We have received several complaints and in the next two weeks, we are going to convene a stakeholders’ forum to address the issues.

“We are sending letters to the police, the DSS and many other groups and the management of PHEDC will be invited, the public should come out and air their grievances,” Thomas said.

Consumers at Obong Street and its environs also expressed their displeasure over the attitude of PHEDC, adding that the inability of the company to provide prepaid metres to customers constituted an illegality and a deliberate ploy to exploit residents with outrageous bills.

Mrs Patricia Inyang, of No. 3 Ekong Ekpeyong Close, off Obong Street in Uyo said that estimated billing was a major problem that PHEDC must have to address.

She said the electricity company was giving her estimated bill of N7, 500 monthly in a one bed room apartment.

She appealed to the PHEDC to supply consumers with prepaid metres to avoid the outrageous billing.

Reacting to the complaints, the PHEDC said that the company had increased efforts to address many of the challenges faced by its customers regarding unavailability of prepaid metres, overbilling and epileptic power.

Mrs Chioma Aninwe, the Acting Manager, Corporate Communications, PHEDC said that in addition to the Asset Provider Scheme, the company had also taken part in the National Mass Metering Programme to make prepaid metres available to customers.

“Our Systems Operation Unit is thereby constrained to proactively manage the available load to create a balance in the interim.

“Some of the challenges being faced are constraints from the transmission end which are not limited to infrastructural issues. Power supply will improve and stabilise as soon as these challenges are rectified,” she said. (NAN)