Transformers: PHCN Advises Donors

Agencies donating transformers to communities as part of their contributions towards enhancing better electricity supply in the country have been urged to go a step further by also providing necessary materials for the installation of such transformers.

The Business Manager of Diobu Business Unit of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), Engineer Aleruchi Nmegbu who gave the advice in Port Harcourt said such step would curb high trend of communities flooding PHCN offices demanding for cables and other materials for installation of transformers donated to them by individuals, organisations and government.

“The recent trend in my office is that many communities flood my office since I resumed duties  asking me to come and install transformers donated to them by the state government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), political representatives and other agencies, I have always asked them, where do I get the materials to install these transformers?,” he said.

The Diobu unit boss explained that his organisation normally plans its job in what he called bill of quantity sent to the Head Office in Abjua through his Chief Executive Officer who approves it and forwards to the federal budget office before it could be accepted as capital project.

“If the communities have the materials for installation of transformers and only asking for the expertise of PHCN to install them, I could obtain permission from my boss to do so but without the materials, where do I get the money to buy these materials. So, I have always declined on such issues,” he maintained.

Engineer Nmegbu urged the state governments to curtail the desire of giving transformers to people or when they do, they should appoint contractors who should install them and observe safety rules and regulations.

By so doing, he said, it would help avoid the tendency of the people levying themselves in order to buy accessories to install the transformers.

He noted that appointing contractors to install donated transformers would reduce the demand by benefiting communities who would not pay Power bills for the fact that they own the transformers and materials used in installing the facilities.

The PHCN unit business manager linked high incidences of vandalisation of PHCN facilities to some contractors who resort to stealing the company’s materials to install transformers donated to communities.

Engineer Nmegbu pointed out that members of the communities also constitute problems by engaging staff of the company in un-official jobs and turn around to complain when such deals fail, adding that the PHCN does not charge for installations, but for the energy generated in billing, transmitted and distributed because as he puts it, energy is not stored since the transmitted one also finishes same day.

Chris Oluoh