Oil & Energy
Billing Fraud: Tenants Plan Mass Action
The controversy sur
rounding fraudulent billing system by Electricity Distribution companies (DISCOS) across Nigeria has assumed a new dimension as tenants have issued a 48-day ultimatum to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to investigate allegations of fraudulent billing by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) on power consumers or face mass protest.
In an exclusive interview with The Tide, Friday in Port Harcourt the Executive Secretary, National Union of Tenants of Nigeria, Mr Caesare Enwefah, accused PHED corporate of fraud and threatened that the union would mobilise for local, national and international mass action against NERC, if it fails to investigate the body’s complaints of inflating bills of consumers against PHEDC.
Enwefah stated that the union had written to the Managing Director of PHEDC since 11th August based on complaints from Port Harcourt residents and prayed that the company should cease forthwith the practice of indiscriminate estimation of units of power consumed but that the management has not responded.
The management having failed to comply, it is now an issue with NERC. Their intention is that we shall go to court, but we shall not. We’re giving a 48-day ultimatum to NERC to investigate the allegation and to wind up PHEDC if found guilty,”.
He threatened that at the expiration of the ultimatum, if NERC does not take action, the union would organize local, national and international action.
He explained that the management of PHEDC is only interested in giving their staff revenue target and to enable them meet the target they do not care about fair billing but go about issuring indiscriminate bills to consumers.
“What they do is give light two or three days to the time of issuing bills and switch off thereafter and the masses keep paying for services not rendered”, he maintained.
On why the body would not go to court with the poor company, the tenants boss said the law do not allow consumers to go to court because electricity companies were not by law liable to give light but that the issue is that they should charge consumers according to services rendered.
A letter of complaint, the body wrote to the Managing Director of PHEDC said, “we act in response to complaints received from Port Harcourt residents alleging unfair billing practice by your company in terms of demanding for power not used.
Our investigation of the mater confirms that, contrary to the docrine of pay-as- you-consumer, your company has deviated from the traditional reading of meter to the practice of arbitrary estimation of bill for residents.
The letter which was made available to The Tide was copied to NERC chairman / CEO, DG standard organisation, Minister of Power , House committee of Reps for Power, Rivers state Governor and Special Adviser to the President on MDG amongst others .
This practice, the letter stated violates the Electronic Power Sector Act, official Gazette No. 104 vol. 94 which prohibits the company from estimating bill for consumers save for certain explicable conditions and noted that such practice was a clever exploitation of the poor masses.
Take notice thus that unless your company yields to the request herein made, we shall as from September 2014 advise all tenants in Port Harcourt to ignore any further estimated billing by your company, the letter said.
The letter further reminded PHEDC that residents of Port Harcourt could be unwilling to pay light bill for 16th July to 8th August 2014 as light was not supplied in the period stressing that any attempt to disconnect any tenant for non payment degenerate to illegal enforcement of payment for service not rendered.
Chris Oluoh
The Federal Government has offered explanation with regard to recent changes to fuel sulphur content standards for diesel.
The Government said the change was part of a regional harmonisation effort, not a relaxation of regulations for local refineries.
The Chief Executive, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, told newsmen that the move was only adhering to a 2020 decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) which mandated a gradual shift to cleaner fuels across the region.
Ahmed said the new limits comply with the decision by ECOWAS that mandated stricter fuel specifications, with enforcement starting in January 2021 for non-ECOWAS imports and January 2025 for ECOWAS refineries.
“We are merely implementing the ECOWAS decision adopted in 2020. So, a local refinery with a 650 ppm sulphur in its product is permissible and safe under the ECOWAS rule until January next year where a uniform standard would apply to both the locally refined and imported products outside West Africa”, Ahmed said.
He said importers were notified of the progressive reduction in allowable sulphur content, reaching 200 ppm this month from 300 ppm in February, well before the giant Dangote refinery began supplying diesel.
Recall that an S&P Global report, last week, noted a significant shift in the West African fuel market after Nigeria altered its maximum diesel sulphur content from 200 parts per million (ppm) to around 650 ppm, sparking concerns it might be lowering its standards to accommodate domestically produced diesel which exceeds the 200 ppm cap.
High sulphur content in fuels can damage engines and contribute to air pollution. Nevertheless, the ECOWAS rule currently allows locally produced fuel to have a higher sulphur content until January 2025.
At that point, a uniform standard of below 5 ppm will apply to both domestic refining and imports from outside West Africa.
Importers were previously permitted to bring in diesel with a sulphur content between 1,500 ppm and 3,000 ppm.
It would be noted that the shift to cleaner fuels aligns with global environmental efforts and ensures a level playing field for regional refiners.
The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) plc says it has commenced implementation of the April 2024 Supplementary Order to the MYTO in its franchise area while assuring customers of improved service delivery.
The Supplementary order, which took effect on April 3, 2024, emphasizes provisions of the MYTO applicable to customers on the Band A segment taking into consideration other favorable obligations by the service provider to Band A customers.
The Head, Corporate Communications of the company, Olubukola Ilvebare, revealed that under the new tariff regime, customers on Band A Feeders who typically receive a minimum supply of power for 20hours per day, would now be obliged to pay N225/kwh.
“According to the Order, this new tariff is modeled to cushion the effects of recent shifts in key economic indices such as inflation rates, foreign exchange rates, gas prices, as well as enable improved delivery of other responsibilities across the value chain which impact operational efficiencies and ability to reliably supply power to esteemed customers.
“PHED assures Band A customers of full compliance with the objectives of the new tariff order”, he stated.
Ilvebare also said the management team was committed to delivering of optimal and quality services in this cost reflective dispensation.
The PHED further informed its esteemed customers on the other service Bands of B, C D & E, that their tariff remains unchanged, adding that the recently implemented supplementary order was only APPLICABLE to customers on Band A Feeders.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd (NNPCL) has announced the signing of an agreement with African Refinery for a share subscription agreement with Port-Harcourt Refinery.
The agreement would see the co-location of a 100,000bpd refinery within the Port-Harcourt Refinery complex.
This was disclosed in a press statement on the company’s official X handle detailing the nitty-gritty of the deal.
According to the NNPCL, the new refinery, when operational, would produce PMS, AGO, ATK, LPG for both the local and international markets.
It stated, “NNPC Limited’s moves to boost local refining capacity witnessed a boost today with the signing of share subscription agreement between NNPC Limited and African Refinery Port Harcourt Limited for the co-location of a 100,000bpd capacity refinery within the PHRC complex.
“The signing of the agreement is a significant step towards setting in motion the process of building a new refinery which, when fully operational, will supply PMS, AGO, ATK, LPG, and other petroleum products to the local and international markets and provide employment opportunities for Nigerians.
By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu
-
Nation4 days agoYahaya Bello: Senator Hails EFCC’s Probe Of N80.2bn Fraud
-
Niger Delta4 days agoMDCN Clears Asaba Specialist Hospital As Novena University Teaching Hospital
-
Politics4 days agoFubara Tasks Rivers Stakeholders On Political, Economic Emancipation …Commissions NAVAL Training Command Headquarters At Ebubu
-
Foreign4 days agoMunitions Explosion At Cambodian Army Base Kills 20 soldiers
-
Oil & Energy4 days agoNigeria Loses Over 300,000 Barrels Of Crude Oil Daily To Theft – Abbas
-
Nation42 mins agoVCDF in Partnership with LDSVA Sensitise Women on Gender Equality, Financial Literacy & Entrepreneurship
-
News4 days agoFubara Tasks GPDA On Prosperous, Liveable City
-
Environment4 days agoWED:Activists Task Govt On Plastic Pollution, Synophom Ban