PHED Justifies Disconnection Of C’River Water Board

The management of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc (PHED) has said that the Cross River State Water Board was disconnected because of non-payment of electricity bills, describing the media war by the Board against PHED as a misrepresentation.
A statement by PHED management, signed by the Manager, Corporate Communication. John Onyi, said: “We read with surprise the headline, ‘Epileptic Power Supply: CRSG groans under N150M monthly expenditure on diesel, widely circulated in the print media and other channels of communication and wish to state unequivocally that it was a misrepresentation of facts.
He said: “PHED has never engaged its customers in its franchise area (Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa and Rivers)  in a media war not to mention  government agencies considering the level of patronage it has enjoyed and still enjoying from the governments of the four states in ensuring that power supply is sustained for the good people of the states.
“However, it is important that we place the facts as they are before the reading public and indeed the Government of Cross River State”.
The  statement hinted that the Cross River State Water Board Ltd, Calabar feeds from PHED’s Water Board feeder, named after the corporation and the area before now received  a minimum of 20 hours of supply per day, adding that the introduction of the recently reviewed tariff placed the Board in the Band A category, and that the Board has since the inception of PHED been a maximum demand customer and as such on premium service.
The statement further pointed out that the Cross Rivers State Water Board has an outstanding debt of N177, 730,978.52 as at date.
According to PHED, the Water Board on 24th January, 2020, was disconnected for non-adherence to payment plan as agreed in series of meetings held with its management, an action, he said   attracted media outrage orchestrated by the agency aimed at incurring public sympathy.
“During  a routine check on 13th May, 2020, the Water Board  main station in Calabar was caught on meter by pass; a diversion of load from the meter which is inimical to the survival of electricity in Nigeria. Subsequently, a penalty fee for the loss of revenue was presented to the agency with a payment plan”, Onyi said.
on diesel. A plan that will not only ease their cash flow but also present an opportunity to enjoy longer hours of power availability on the said Feeder.

“In reference to network connection of transformers, PHED, as a responsive and responsible organization, has due process of connecting new transformers to its network in line with extant laws by the regulatory bodies,” Onyi said.