Business
Tariffs:PHED Embarks On Customers Survey
The management of
Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) has contracted Stakeholders Democratic Network (SDN), to carry out a special survey to establish customers’ position concerning tariffs and other customer services related issues.
The Corporate Communications Manager of PHED, Mr. Jonah Iboma, who disclosed this, said the decision to embark on the survey was due to the firm’s desire to effectively determine customer’ true needs and also to properly provide solutions that would meet established needs.
“We embarked on this survey due to our desire to adequately position our firm to address real needs of the customers and not just what we think internally as a firm”, he said.
Iboma explained that the firm could have, on its own, carried out the survey using PHED staff, but felt that an independent firm should do it so that the end result would be one that could be trusted and presented to the industry regulator for use.
The manager said although it was generally known that adequate power supply is the desire of every customer, it is still necessary to ensure that all factors related to providing power in a sustainable manner are properly identified and addressed in the correct manner.
“Everyone’s desire is to have electricity but we know today that 24/7 power is not easily achievable. So this survey will enable us know how customers will embrace issues related to tariff changes and their positions in terms of infrastructure provision and other initiatives that we are putting in place to help provide good services”, he said.
He noted that PHED was aware of the fact that some customers do not have a proper understanding of how government has privatised the electricity industry, stressing that a lot of people still think that distribution companies are the same as transmission and generation firms.
SDN is a leading non-governmental organisation that focuses on social and energy issues especially in the Niger Delta and other parts of Southern Nigeria.
Chris Oluoh