The Business Manager of
Diobu Business Unit of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) Engr. Akinpelu Dahunsi, has urged the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to initiate laws aimed at giving protection to the power companies in the country.
The business manager, who spoke in an interview with our correspondent in his office, observed that most of the laws appear to be interested in giving protection to the consumers of electricity services.
According to Dahunsi, consumers were taking things for granted and have not changed from their former orientation where they viewed the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) as every body’s property.
The manager regretted that some customers were committing fraud through power theft, use and illegal installation of metres not officially from the right source and in some communities under his business unit, some persons belief that as indigenes or community leaders, they do not have to pay for light.
He said when such laws that could go against people tempering with metre, installation of metres from questionable sources amongst others were made, they would boost the profit interest of the companies.
Describing Diobu Business Unit as a thickly populated area, Dahunsi, who was recently posted to head the unit said the incidence of metre tampering was very high and appealed for change of attitude.
“You can imagine a yard where metre record was N7,000 last month and today, the metre is reading N4,000 it’s suspicious, more so, when I know what my own record is showing me in the office”, he stated.
If you make law for the company to provide uninterrupted light, there should also be law to prosecute those involving in illegal connection. Some use ladder to connect light in the night and in the morning, they disconnect it from various hidden connections,” he lamented.
He called for the understanding of the public and the need to co-operate with the company for mutual benefit and advised those who feel they should not pay for light based on indigene-ship or leadership status that irrespective of who and what their status is in the society, as long as they enjoy the light, they are supposed to pay for the service.
He explained that in countries like Benin Republic, where light is said to be steady, the power consumers were more responsible to their bid of the game as they pay for their light services regularly noting that those who could not afford light in that country were not connected and do not use light.
Chris Oluoh
