World Cup 2010: PH Residents Blast PHCN

Residents of Port Harcourt City have expressed disappointment over the inability of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to supply them electricity during the on-going World Cup matches in South Africa.

Majority of them, who spoke to The Tide said in spite of the promise made by the company to provide adequate power, its service was far below what it has been before the tournament.

Mr. Jonathan Bestman, who said he is a staunch supporter of the Super Eagles said “PHCN has been very unpatriotic. They failed to supply us light during the first match of Nigerian Eagles with Agentina and also repeated that during our match with Greece”.

“At the beginning of the matches, they took light 15 minutes into the first halve and about 18 minutes later when I have paid N100.00 at a viewing centre, PHCN brought back light”, he said.

Mr. Bestman accused the company of conniving with viewing centres to frustrate football fans so that the mushroom viewing centres around Port Harcourt City could make money from the teeming football lovers in the city.

Mr. Bestman, who lives at Okwelle Street in Port Harcourt, stated that the promise made by the PHCN management to provide adequate power during the matches was a ruse.

Another respondent, Chinatu Agbarakwe told The Tide that she was not surprised that PHCN did not give enought light at the last match Nigeria had with Greece “because PHCN is not known to give light particularly when most needed”.

“My only problem was that my small generator developed fault such that I could not fix it before the match. So, as expected, PHCN never gave light to my street”.

Miss Agbarakwe, however, said she was surprised that in other matches, the power company was steady with light.

“So, I begin to wonder if those working in PHCN are actually Nigerians”, she remarked.

On the accusation of conspiring with viewing centres to boost the economic fortune of the centres, Mr. Darlington White, an operator of a viewing centre at Rumuokoro debunked the allegation.

He said “it is unfair that people can imagine such a thing. But what happens is that we are in business to make profit and events light these are big opportunities to us”.

“So, if PHCN, due to one reason or the other, which is best known to the company, fails to give the people light, we are there to provide this highly desired alternative”, he said.

He said that “when power failure causes more customers to patronize us, like it or leave it, it is good harvest to us and we only pray and thank God for such opportunities that could make us have more businesses”

But Charles Williams expressed gratitude to PHCN for what he described as wonderful effort of PHCN.

According to Mr. Williams, who resides in D/Line area, throughout the tournament, PHCN has provided enough light such that he has no fair reason to complain.

He enjoined the company to continue in its determination to make positive changes in power supply.

Mr. Williams said he was surprised that some of his friends residing in other parts of Port Harcourt and its environs are complaining of poor power supply.

Chris Oluoh