Rivers Communities Cry Out Against Perpetual Blackout

The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED)has been accused of perpetually throwing the 19 communities in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers Stateinto darkness for three months.
Chairman of Etche Electricity Committee, Mr Nnamdi Nwuche made this accusation in a chat with reporters in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Nwuche noted that the 19 communities have been darkness for more than three months even after expressing their readiness he pay for every supplied
The Etche electricity Committee Chairman lamented that PHED in spite of being aware that the 19 communities had been in darkness for three months, was site sending bills to them and demanded that they pay for energy they did not consume.
According to him, “ for the past three to four months now, there has been no light in Etche and PHED is still demanding us to pay pills that when we did not even see light.
We are saying therefore that if you fine us energy we will pay for energy consumed.’’
Nwuche demanded that PHED install prepaid meters, saying, ‘’ they should come and install prepaid meters for us. That would even save us from all these problems’’.
He pleaded with PHED to please restore power supply to the 19 communities as their businesses have suffered great lose.
Nwuche used the opportunity to append to the Etche LG Canal boss and well-meaning indiduduals of the area to ensure that power supply is restored to the area in no distant time.
He said, “ I appeal to the Etche Local Government Chairman and our brothers to do every thing they can to ensure that power is restored to the area so that residents and business owners would enjoy constant power supply.
The Manager, Corporate Communication, PHED, Mr John Onyi, when contacted said that the power outage was not peculiar to Etche, adding that some parts of Rivers State are also affected and explained that the blackout was due to a fault with National Grid and non-payment of electricity bills.

Tonye Nria-Dappa