Epileptic Power Supply In A’Ibom: Is The Problem Nearing Solution?
By UbongAbasi Ise
On Friday, 26th October, 2018, the
town hall meeting of Electricity Customers and Consumers in Akwa Ibom State, was
convened in Uyo by the Akwa Ibom Human Rights Community, AKHRC, in conjunction
with the Center for Human Rights Advancement and Civic Education. About 43
stakeholders attended the Town Hall meeting including very senior officials of
the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHED. The aim of the meeting was to educate
customers on their rights and obligations, give proper education that will help
reduce to the barest minimum, the present upheaval instigated as a result of
frustration stemmed from unjust billing regime, and to address the refusal of
the distribution company to install pre-paid meters, and the general malaise in
the distribution of power to consumers/customers.
 |
Cross section of
the customers
and consumer
at the electricity Town
Hall meeting in
Uyo, recently
|
The
distribution company’s officials present at the meeting were Engr. Akanimo
Ekpe, Head of the PHED in Uyo, and Mrs. Blessing Umoh, acting Customer Services
Manager of PHED in Uyo.
The
coordinator of the meeting, Barr. Clifford Thomas of the state Human Rights
Community, in his opening remark, stressed that corruption in the power sector
has not augured well for the end-users as it renders not only the business people
victims but the policemen, soldiers, and other professionals, hence, he urged
electricity consumers and customer to stop talking, and take the necessary
steps to effect the change that will produce results in the power sector.
How
Did We Get Here?
The reforms in the Power
sector of the Nigerian State brought deregulation of the Power sector through
the process of privatization. This new paradigm liberalized the Power sector,
thus, leading to the breakage of what used to be known as Nigerian Electricity
Power Authority, NEPA, and later, the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN.
Further agitation and dissatisfaction led to the unbundling of this sector to
accommodate three value chain stakeholders through power generation, power
transmission, and power distribution.
Distribution
of electricity to the end-users lies principally with the Distribution
Companies called DisCOs in Nigeria. Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers
States fall within the catchment area of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution
Company, PHED. The PHED is the DisCO fully in-charge of the distribution of
transmitted electricity to the end users called consumers or customers in Akwa
Ibom State.
The Real Power Palaver
The distribution of
electricity to consumers in the State is not just epileptic but done in a
manner that suggests economic sabotage on the part of the PHED. Complaints by
customers that are largely ignored have risen to crescendo; forcing customers
to make plans to take the laws into their hands. To protect personnel of the
company, police men are hired to accompany PHED officials for disconnection and
carting away of customer cables in the most brazen manner. The billing regime
is disproportionate to the services rendered; estimated billing system destroys
the purchasing power of the electricity customer, especially where bills are
discriminately given when no electricity was supplied; non-metering of
customers; surging currents destroying electrical appliances in customers’
homes; forcing customers to buy, repair and maintain power infrastructure in
communities, amongst others, constitute some of the grievances of electricity
customers in Akwa Ibom State.
At the
meeting, Customers and consumers took their turn to narrate their ordeal in the
hands of the PHED. Mr. Inyeneobong Tom, who resides at Obio Etoi in Uyo, said
for the past 10 months, the duration of electricity supplied to his area was
two hours cumulatively, but changed a bit
when he laid complaint at the nearby PHED office in Uyo a day before the
meeting.
 |
| Barr. Clifford Thomas, AKHRC |
Mr. Augustine Edem, who came
from Abak local government area, lamented the epileptic power supply situation
in the area, questioning what could have possibly be the cause of non- metering
of Abak and its environs, while another Abak resident, Mr. Aniefiok Uboh,
bemoaned how PHED would provide electricity for an hour and thirty minutes a
day before they come to check the electricity bill. On high electricity tariff,
Uboh said after mounting serious pressure on PHED, his monthly bill was reduced
from N25,000 to N6,000 only to increase two times in the next few months.
Another
electricity customer, Prince Akwaimo, a resident of Mbribri Itam located along
Idoro Road in Uyo, said the common experience in the area is that if there was
no power supply the previous month, the PHED would not come up with any electricity
bill but they would definitely include it in the next month’s bill so far they
eventually bring electricity. With this, the residents are left to pay for what
they have not consumed. A customer in Uyo, who simply gave his name as Emma,
complained that most times paid bills would not be reflected on the payment
profile, a situation PHED staff would take advantage of in disconnecting the
customers.
Also
speaking, Mr. Precious Akhinkore, who lives at Afaha Ubeh in Itu local
government area for over 18 years, complained bitterly for having to spend
about N155,000 on fuel every month in order to run his bakery. He said one of
the two sections of Afaha Ubeh where he resides, has no electricity for over
seven months – a community that hosts a power substation.
 |
| Engr. A. Ekpe, Head of PHED, Uyo |
Distribution Question And Problem Of Power Management
Speaking at the forum, Mr.
Anietie Inyang, a former staff of Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, said
there has been tremendous improvement in the generation of power with Ibom
Power Plant and Odukpani station producing, but noted that the problem of
continued epileptic power supply is largely linked to the area of distribution.
“The
information reaching us is that there has been tremendous improvement in the
generation of power. Most of us don’t know that the Ibom Power Plant is
generating an average of 60 megawatts, and there is a power station that has
just come up at Odukpani which is pushing over 300 megawatts into the national
grid. The problem is not with the transmission. The Federal Government keeps
saying that they have improved generation from 5,000 megawatts to 7,000
megawatts. It makes no meaning if we don’t get distribution companies getting
things right,” he said.
Mr. Inyang
further claimed that those transmitting power are pleading with the PHED to peak
supply in the state but the distributing company would always give one excuse
of having to wait for instruction from Port Harcourt.
He decried
the problem of power management which mostly leads to general disconnection of
areas, while suggesting that management of power should have been centred on
the individual basis in accordance with how the customers comply with the
payment of electricity bills. Mr. Anietie Inyang further condemned the set-up
of priority areas in Akwa Ibom State with some areas experiencing blackout
while they still have to pay the same tariff rate like those customers living
in the prioritized areas.
The PHED Reaction
The Head of PHED in Uyo, Engr. Akanimo Ekpe, took time to
respond to the customers based on their grievances. On the issue of metering,
Ekpe said every customer is entitled to a metre without having to pay for it
but advised that customers must have to clear the backlog of their bills before
applying for metres. He also informed the forum that contested bills are
reviewed at PHED office instantly.
On non-reflection of payment,
Engr. Akanimo Ekpe said fault might either come from computer omission or from
the delay in the payment by the customer. The PHED man charged customers to
always write the company and attach with the letter the evidence of payment
whenever the issue of non-reflection of bill payment arises. He warned that if fraudulent
act is discovered on the part of the
PHED staff, the customer should not waste time in writing the company, after
which the investigation would be conducted.
… PHED Treats
Special Complaints
The good news at the forum was that the participants with
special complaints were instantly attended to by the PHED personnel, and they
were invited to Uyo office at Edet Akpan Avenue on Monday 29th 2018
for onward treatment of their cases.
General Observation
At the meeting, the following
observations were made by electricity customers in the state:
that PHED is deliberately
frustrating the directives of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission
(NERC’s) for new and existing electricity customers to be metered; that
the estimated billing system which is supposed to be a temporary arrangement
has assumed a permanent status; such that, it has become a norm and strategy to
fleece consumers; that the desperation to have power restored to their homes,
electricity customers have had to contribute monies to repair, maintain, buy
and install material infrastructures for transformers and other hard-wares
required for electricity distribution; that bills were still being slammed on
customers even when there is no power used by customers; that PHED staff, especially
Marketers in the field harass, extort monies from customers, cut off and cart
away cables of customers, and further use police to intimidate customers; that
the electricity units supplied are inadequate, yet the bills keep increasing
without a corresponding increase in power supplied to customers; that
there are areas with less than five (5) hours of electricity per month that are
forced to pay prohibitive and ungodly bills; that the Operations Manager of
PHED in Port Harcourt who is in charge of giving orders for power to be
distributed to specific areas has refused to direct power generated and
transmitted to Uyo to be taken up for distribution in Uyo, and other parts of
the State. This is what is responsible for poor power distribution; that
disconnection of customers is done without substantial compliance with the rules
and requirements of the NERC; that the PHED is working through its POWER FOR
ALL project to distribute 150,000 meters to customers in Akwa Ibom State in its
phase 1 stage; that the Akwa Ibom
State Government has spent so much money in providing necessary infrastructure
for the efficient operations of the PHED, yet the people are yet to enjoy the
accrual benefits of such State investments, such as provision of transformers,
building and equipping of injection substations, amongst others.
Recommendations and Resolutions
After the robust discussions
and deliberations that lasted for over three hours, certain decisions that
culminated in the following resolutions and recommendations were arrived at as
follows:
The electricity customers
in Akwa Ibom State expressed happiness with the operations of the Nigeria Electricity
Regulatory Commission, NERC, for taking very proactive steps in resolving
complaints and problems that the PHED could or refused to resolve.
It was also resolved that the solution to the problem of
crazy bills, estimated billing system, and associated problems, is for the PHED
to provide meter to her customers, and this, should commence immediately.
It is the right of customers to contest
unreasonable bills. It is also the right of the customer not to pay such
disputed bills. Customers can only pay for uncontested bills.
The dispute
resolution mechanism put in place by the statutes, rules and regulations to
regulate dispute within the system, must be complied with, and electricity
customers are enjoined to make proper use of it by documenting all their
grievances, and channeling same to the appropriate quarters for necessary
action.
There should be a
declaration of how much of Akwa Ibom State monies have been spent in the PHED,
especially, in the provision of power infrastructure like the building of
Injection substations (Edet Akpan
Avenue – 4 Lane in Uyo), transformers, injectable support fund,
etc.
What
is the equity stake of the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State in the
ownership and control of the PHED, and who is the equity representative?
The Abak Road line which supplies power
from Uyo through Abak, Etim Ekpo, Ukanafu to Ika is too long and fraught with
regular challenges. There is need for the PHED to collaborate with the
necessary stakeholders to break it, and to build a standard 33KVA Substation to
enhance power supply to the customers along this Line.
The PHED must
convene a forum of electricity customers/ consumers in the State which must be
well publicized, on or before the end of December, 2018; to enable customers
with unresolved issues to have direct interface with the company, and arrive at
amicable resolutions.
The
issue of surging currents or insufficient currents that destroy electrical
appliances in homes is a strict liability of the PHED, and customers must in the
first place, wire their buildings with the correct stipulated cable and
materials before holding PHED responsible for such damages and destruction of
electrical appliances in homes.
All
issues of over-billing must be resolved in favour of the customer, and same
should be reflected in the next bill served on the customer. And there must be
transparency in the process itself.
Customers have the obligation of paying
promptly, bills for electricity consumed within the stipulated time frame, and
ensure that cases of non-billing should be promptly reported to the PHED office
nearest to them.
Customers must take proper care and
protection of power infrastructure in their coverage areas, and ensure that
such installations are not tampered with, vandalized or stolen.
Customers
must not beat, harass or threaten PHED officials who are performing their
legitimate duties; they must be protected at all times by the customers when
the legitimacy of their jobs is confirmed.
It is not
the duty of customers to buy, procure or install damaged electricity
infrastructure where they go bad. There must be prompt report in writing to the
PHED, and consent in written form must be gotten from the PHED where the
company wants the community to assist. There must be clear documentation of the
agreements in terms of responsibilities and rights before such interventions.
That 150,000
meters earmarked for distribution to electricity customers in its phase 1 of
the POWER FOR ALL project is commendable, but is grossly inadequate given the
fact that there might be close to a million electricity consumers in the State
who need meters for their buildings.
The
Operations Manager or any other official of the PHED in Port Harcourt or
anywhere, saddled with the task of directing when power should be distributed
to areas in Akwa Ibom State, should be directed to accept loads from
Transmission, and get same distributed promptly to customers in the
State. This is particularly so, given the fact that generation of power has
improved, and transmission is not a known problem.
Marketers and PHED personnel who interface
with the public on behalf of the company should be retrained on customer
relations, and how to relate with angry customers who feel cheated by and
dissatisfied with PHED operations.
Where
PHED refuses, neglects or deliberately elects not to resolve these issues as
raised by electricity customers in Akwa Ibom State, an advocacy and campaign
must commence immediately to the relevant authorities to revoke the license of
the company; to pave way for a more efficient company that will help drive the
process of distribution in Akwa Ibom State.
The
existing electromagnetic or analog meters should be captured and monthly
readings carried out while customers await the pre-paid meters to avoid
extortion.
The
head of operations of PHED should increase power allocation to customers on
33kv lines to justify the huge bills such customers pay.
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