Business
Electricity Consumers Knock PHED Over Poor Services
Electricity consumers in
Akwa Ibom State have accused the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) of fraudulently extorting unsuspecting consumers without corresponding power supply.
The consumers said the power company has completely neglected their responsibilities to members of the public, and made circulation of outrageous bills the most regular and visible aspect of their services to the people.
Speaking with our correspondent in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, a resident of Anwa Nsa Street, Uyo, Mr. Idongesit Ekpenyong, expressed disappointment that such alleged fraudulent activities could be allowed to go unabated in the state.
Ekpenyong alleged that the entire PHED team in Akwa Ibom has displayed high sense of irresponsibility and fraud against members of the public by forcefully and constantly placing charges for services not rendered.
He said the policy of estimated billing system was the company’s calculated plan to maximise profit at the expense of the public, as any appropriate billing system would have revealed the true state of services rendered.
Citing his street’s experience, for instance, the consumer expressed disappointment that after one year of total blackout due to faulty transformer, PHED, after installation of a new transformer, facilitated by one of the residents, sent in bills covering the one year period of the total blackout.
His words: “Imagine a situation where you had no light in your area, not even a flash for one full year, and for this reason, there was absolutely no point bringing in any bill, but after one year, one of the residents of the area facilitated installation of a new transformer, and two weeks after the new transformer was installed, they brought in bills covering the entire period of total blackout.
“So ridiculous it was that some flats were receiving bills of N150,000, and single rooms N50,000 to N70,000.
“As though such daylight robbery was not enough, PHED team came after a month to disconnect cables from virtually every building because no one agreed to succumb to that high level of fraud.
“Some of us had to go to their office to complain about the one full year of blackout, and the illegality of the bills, and they advised us to apply, which we did. Till this moment, our bills are still coming with the backlog of charges for power not supplied,” he added.
Ekpenyong, therefore, called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to call PHED to order, and desist from extorting members of the public for services not rendered.
Another consumer and resident of Akpan Ukpo, of Esuene Street, Mr Isaiah Udofia, criticised PHED for defiling every sense of responsibility and duty owed members of the public with its intolerable activities.
According to Udofia, the company has adopted a strategy of supplying electricity to most streets in Uyo just within 48 hours to enable its team conclude the distribution of bills.
He said: “If you are resident in Uyo, observe these people closely, you would notice that they usually bring light two days to the 15th day of every month, within which they usually circulate bills, and the moment they are done with that, the light cut off till same time next month.
“In addition to poor electricity power, the bills have also become so high that one is left to wonder if power bill is the only thing one should be paying with his monthly income. While some apartments are receiving bills of between N8,000 and N12,000 every month, single bedrooms are charged as high as N5,000 every month. I honestly do not understand what these people are up to Udofia said.”
This followed a notice of motion brought before the House by member representing Ibesikpo Asutan State Constituency, Mr. Aniekan Uko, during one of its plenary sessions.
The motion was titled: “The unwholesome and alleged fraudulent charges on electricity consumers in Akwa Ibom State by PHED”.
Uko frowned at a situation where electricity consumers, particularly in rural communities, were made to pay accumulated tariff even when they never consumed or had power supply within the period.
He prayed the House to urge the management of PHED to be responsible for the repairs, replacement and purchase of broken down electricity equipment as stipulated by Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
“A situation where electricity consumers, including unmetered houses and communities neither enjoy quality electricity supply nor see light for months due to prolonged breakdown of electricity equipment like the transformer but made to replace, repair or buy the transformer is far from being transparent”, he said
Lawmakers who spoke on the matter, including Leader of the House and member representing Oruk Anam State Constituency, Udo Kierian Akpan, and member representing Mbo, Samuel Ufuo, stressed the need for the House to interface with the management of the PHED and other institutions, especially affected by the situation.
This, they submitted would help them come up with a lasting solution to the lingering problem.
The Speaker, Hon Onofiok Luke, after listening to the submissions, urged the House Committee on Rural Development and Public Utilities as well as the Committee on Commerce, Industry and Tourism, to harmonize the two motions and submit report to the House within two weeks.
Efforts to reach the state Public Affairs Manager of PHED, Mr John Onyi, proved abortive as he neither picked his calls nor replied text messages sent to his phone.
Imah Utip
In a concerted effort to tackle racketeering and reduce inflated transportation costs in the Nigeria’s seaports, Trucks Transit Parks Ltd. (TTP) has trained Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders on the use of its Ètò electronic call-up system.
The training was held recently at Customs Processing Centre (CPC) Auditorium, Apapa, Lagos, in collaboration with the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and supported by the leadership of the Joint Association of Licensed Customs Agents and Freight Forwarders (JALCAFF), Apapa Command.
Speaking at the event, Comptroller Babatunde Olomu expressed appreciation to TTP for facilitating the training and emphasized the need for customs agents to take personal ownership of the Ètò booking process.
“I want to thank TTP for this impactful training. I encourage all customs agents to begin doing their own bookings directly. By doing so, they can take back power from the unscrupulous elements exploiting their lack of knowledge, selling tickets at highly inflated prices,” Olomu declared.
He noted that empowering agents with hands-on training was key to dismantling racketeering networks that have plagued access to the ports and frustrated efficient logistics processes.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Apapa Chapter of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Chief Emeka Chukwumalu, said the engagement was critical to the ongoing push to reduce cargo transportation costs and ease business operations at the Apapa Port.
According to a freight forwarder, “The training is basically for us to have awareness of the operations of the Ètò call-up system through TTP. We also want to brainstorm on ways to reduce the high cost of cargo transportation in Apapa Port.
“This training opened our eyes to how simple it is to book tickets ourselves. We now know the right steps to follow and how to avoid falling victim to fraudsters.”
Earlier, Head of Operations at TTP, Mr. Irabor Akonoman, talked on common misconceptions about ticket pricing, reaffirming that the cost of Ètò bookings had remained consistent since its inception.
“The official price remains the same since inception. What people are paying higher amounts for is the manipulation by racketeers”.
Towards strengthening small businesses and promoting a more supportive regulatory environment, the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) says it will hold the 2025 edition of its flagship MSMEs Fair on Tuesday (May 6, 2025).
The event, themed, “Galvanising MSMEs for Economic Growth and Stability”, will take place at NECA House in Lagos.
According to NECA’s Director-General, Mr Adewale Smatt Oyerinde, the fair seeks to provide micro, small, and medium enterprises with essential tools, resources, and strategic networks to thrive in Nigeria’s challenging business climate.
He emphasised the vital role MSMEs play in national development, describing them as the “lifeblood of Nigeria’s economy.”
Oyerinde noted that the fair is designed to offer entrepreneurs practical solutions to navigate economic uncertainties, regulatory hurdles, and business scalability issues.
A major attraction of this year’s event is the keynote address by the CEO of FATE Foundation, Mrs. Adenike Adeyemi, a prominent advocate for MSME development.
She is expected to share transformative insights on innovative strategies for sustaining and growing small businesses in Nigeria.
A unique feature of the fair will be interactive sessions with key regulatory bodies. Entrepreneurs will engage directly with agencies responsible for licensing, compliance, taxation, and business registration.
NECA said these sessions aim to demystify bureaucratic processes and foster a more enabling business environment.
It also said the fair will provide a platform for entrepreneurs to exhibit their products and services, connect with potential investors, and explore new markets.
It added that participants would gain critical knowledge on digital transformation, access to finance, and strategies for sustainable business growth.
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· NECA stressed that the fair aligns with its broader mission of promoting enterprise development and economic resilience.
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· “By empowering MSMEs with the right support and information, the organisation aims to stimulate job creation, innovation, and long-term economic stability”, NECA said.
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· The 2025 MSMEs Fair is expected to attract a wide range of stakeholders, including financiers, tech experts, regulators, and industry leaders, all united in advancing the growth of Nigeria’s MSME sector.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Transport, Mr Oluwaseun Osiyemi, says over two million passengers have been transported on the Blue Line Rail since its launch, while state-run buses move an average of 42,000 commuters daily.
Osiyemi, who disclosed this during the Year 2025 Ministerial press briefing held at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, on Tuesday, noted that the Lagos State Transport Policy, launched in May 2024, was now in its implementation phase, focusing on inclusivity, safety, affordability, and sustainability.
“On rail development, Phase One of the Blue Line (Marina to Mile 2) has served over two million passengers, with Phase Two (Mile 2 to Okokomaiko) in progress.
“Phase One of the Red Line (Agbado to Oyingbo) is now operational with eight stations and additional rolling stocks procured, while Phase two (Oyingbo to link Blue Line at National Theatre) is underway”, he said.
The Commissioner said in the state-owned bus operations, over 60 million commuters have been served since 2019, with daily ridership exceeding 40,000.
He also said plans were on to deploy new buses with Quality Bus Corridors under construction, adding that the Abule=Egba Bus Terminal had also been commissioned.
“For water transport, 15 locally-built Omibus Ferries have been launched and are in operation, with the Ijegun Egba Terminal now open.
“The OMI EKO project, in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD), will deliver 25 terminals and 78 electric ferries.
“Over 280,000 passengers have used ferry services in the past year, and 12 boats have been upgraded to meet safety standards”, he said.
On road infrastructure and traffic management, the Commissioner said 49 junction improvement projects had been completed, including ongoing ones at Ikorodu, Iju, as well as Allen-Opebi-Toyin axis.
He added that solar-powered Traffic Signal Lights, road markings covering 67.9km, new medians, laybys, and 3,941 parking lots had also been provided.
Additionally, Osiyemi announced that the deployed Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras had detected over 470,000 traffic violations and that the Vehicle Inspection Service issued over one million roadworthiness certificates.
He also said that the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute trained more than 32,000 drivers in the past 13 months.
The event marked the second anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term, showcasing major strides in the transport sector under the THEMES+ agenda.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos