Our correspondent
Respite has come the way of popular Akwa Ibom school for the physically impaired and a retired director of the defunct National Electric Power Authority, following the recent ruling of the Uyo Forum of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
For months, St. Louise’s Inclusive Schools in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area and one Engr. Amba Nsugwara, the ex-NEPA director were disconnected by Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) company over alleged unpaid electricity bills.
The schools located at 3B Queen Street in Ikot Ekpene caters for 202 inmates comprising the deaf, autism patients, down-syndrome disease and slow learners, among others.
Also read: Uyo Forum/PHED meeting ends in chaos
Concerned about the plight of the inmates, Sister Joyce Ikott, Daughter of Charity (DC) dragged PHED before the Uyo Forum office, NERC located at 63 Osongama Road, Uyo.
The matter earlier scheduled for Wednesday, May 31 was shifted to June 1 due to a clash between the staffers of NERC and PHED at the forum’s sitting.
At the reconvened meeting of Uyo Forum on Thursday, Sr. Ikott narrated the ordeal of the inmates in the face of power outage since March 2022.
‘‘Since disconnection of the electricity from the swchools, I have passed through trauma and the inmates experienced depression as they use electricity to study most times. Though there was analogue meter in the schools, I decided to pay N275,000 for four pre-meters to forestall estimated bills by PHED, as advised by the then marketing manager in Ikot Ekpene. During this period, PHED still sent estimated bill of more than N446,000 to us.
‘‘I drew attention of the then manager to the estimated bill, but he did not attend to me. I complained officially, yet there was no response. I tackled the issue at various quarters, but there was no head. Eventually, I sent a petition to this forum for solution.
‘‘Since I paid for the pre-paid meters, up till now, PHED has not taken delivery of them. I want to appeal to this forum to intervene by ensuring justice is done,’’ the sister narrated.
But, one Adesina representing PHED said to show commitment, the schools should pay N50,000 into the coffers of the company for reconciliation of its account before connection to the national grid.
He, therefore, sought a one-month window for the company to assess the situation in order to restore electricity.
Ruling on the matter, the forum Chairman, Mr. David Udoh directed PHED together with NERC officials to go and assess the schools to knowing the type of pre-paid meter that will be suitable for the schools. I give you one month to handle and sort it out once and for all. Upon agreement between both parties, PHED can link the schools to national grid.’’
For Nsugwara, it was another bitter experience as he told the forum that he graduated from a university as Electrical engineer in 1969, joined NEPA later and had worked for the organization for 30 years before he retired.
His altercation started with his former organisation as soon as he rented an office in Uyo.
‘‘I paid for one pre-paid meter. Despite this, PHED still gave me an estimated bill. The company gave me a bill of over N200,000, but I paid N150,000. Yet, one junior staffer ordered me to wait for him along two Lanes, Uyo. He warned me that if I fail to wait and pick him to assess electricity consumption in my office, he would leave.
‘‘To have a clean bill of health, I had gone and paid N150,000 to the company for reconnection. Up till now, I have not been reconnected. I had written to the PHED regional manager in Uyo, but to no avail. That is why I decided to come to this forum to demand justice,’’ he recounted.
In his ruling, Mr. Udoh expressed shock at the treatment meted out to the engineer who had served the nation indeed the company for years, and had risen to the rank of a director.
‘‘When this man started work in NEPA, most of the staffers in PHED were not born or were children. This man had served the company and the nation meritoriously. It is surprising that the organization he worked with over the years has treated him with levity. I hereby give PHED seven days to restore electricity to his office without fail,’’ the forum chairman ordered.
