By: Our correspondent
The Uyo Forum ended in chaos on Wednesday, following a clash between staffers of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) company.
NERC which was formed in 2005 through the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, 2005 is an independent regulatory body with authority to review electricity tariffs, and mediate on complaints by customers on estimated bills and poor services by the company to meet customers’ need, among others.
PHED is a private electric distributor that provides electricity to more than 14 million people in four Nigerian states- Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River and Rivers States.
Straightnews online reporter gathered that trouble started when Peter Dickson, secretary, NERC, South/South Zonal Office, levelled some accusations against PHED in handing him an estimated bill.
Dickson who was a complainant in the matter told the four-member panel that PHED gave him an estimated bill unmindful of his status as electricity regulator who worked 30 years in Lagos State and more than four years in Akwa Ibom.
According to him, he is residing in Afaha Ube Itam axis and the NERC’s CAP for a particular month is N68 per consumption unit in the area.
‘‘I lodged complaint on estimated bill last year with the company, but it was resolved. But this year, the company gave me another estimated bill that was more more than N200,000.
‘‘Before I could pay the debt, PHED migrated my account to more than N500,000 bill. As a regulator, I checked the system and discovered that the company’s account had been liquidated. But, the company generated another account and charged me arbitrarily.
‘‘To resolve the astronomical charge, I visited the company’s office along Edet Akpan Avenue, Uyo. I met one Dickson, a senior staffer of the company and paid N30,000 to him. He collected it, wrote ‘paid’, signed and handed over the paper to me. Later, I discovered that the amount already paid did not reflect in the outstanding bill I was owing.
‘‘I petitioned to the Regional Manager to redress the anomaly, but he did not. As a last resort, I decided to bring the matter to this commission to proffer a solution to the estimated bill.’’
Reacting sharply to accusation, Dickson of PHED Office exploded in anger that the NERC accused him of fraud.
To avoid the matter worsening, the forum chairman, Mr. David Udoh who presided over the parley at their office: 63, Osongama Road, Uyo called off the meeting that became rowdy.
Peeved by their action, the forum Chairman, therefore, directed aggrieved officials of the NERC and PHED to go out and sort out the matter to avoid the issue degenerating into crisis.
Outside, the two enraged fellows engaged in shouting order and could not resolve the matter before they walked and were almost on each other’s jugular.
‘‘You are a thief. I will deal with you. You wrote petition to my head office that I collected money from you without issuing a receipt. Thank God, you could send me away from the company. Do you know that you are my enemy? How did you give an estimated bill knowing that I know much about the operations of your company? We have come to end of the road. I will get to the root of this matter,’’ were some of the words heard by Straightnews reporter who covered the meeting.
As they came in with frowning faces, Mr. Udoh, the Chairman’s forum said ‘‘I have not seen what has happened today throughout my stay here. I was voted in by the forum members. I have not shown disrespect to Engr. Ekanem who is younger than me. I have not disrespected Peter Umanah who is older than me. I do disrespect that Emeka.
‘‘What has happened is disrespect to us in this forum. By November this year, my tenure of office will expire and another person will step. Based on this unfortunate incident, I hereby adjoin this meeting for us to reconvene tomorrow at 9 a.m. Please, complainants should come back on Thursday to be attended to. Thank you.’’
In an interview with Straightnews reporter, one Emeka, a customer/complainant shrugged in amazement at the attitude of the company in giving the NERC official an estimated bill, reasoning that the company must have done worst to its customers who are naïve about NERC regulations.
Another customer who did not want her name in print expressed shock at the rate PHED is giving estimated bills to its teeming customers who have analogue meters or those without analogue or pre-paid meters.
On her part, Mrs NseAbasi Udoh confided in the reporter that what brought her to NERC was more than N400000 estimated bill slammed on her by the company.
‘‘Already, I have analogue meter. The company enumerated my house, yet it could not install pre-paid meter to the house. The company had stopped sending its agent to read my meter which is still working on the pretext that it is obsolete. How does the company know that it is obsolete when Federal Ministry of Mines and Power has not certified it to be so.
‘‘Stopping to read analogue meters on the basis that it is analogue is a ploy by the company indeed a high-level gimmick to extort money from me and its teeming but naïve customers. I pray we will have a proactive government that will wade into and stop this high-level exploitation,’’ she retorted.
