News
PHED Rakes In N5.2bn In One Month …Targets Revenue Recovery From 70,000 Debtors …To Metre More 10% Customers By Dec
As part of efforts to achieve the tripod pillars of increased revenue growth, standardisation of processes, and efficient people and performance management on which its core values stand in line with global best practices, Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc, has raised its revenue collection to N5.2billion in August from N4.3billion in July, 2022.
This shows an increase of N900,000,000, representing a leap of approximately 20.94percent in revenue collection over a 30-day period in its franchise four states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Rivers.
The revenue collection falls short of the N7.4billion value of bills submitted to customers across the value chain in the franchise states in August, alone.
This also means a daunting shortfall of N2.2billionn in revenue collection against projected target, which the company attributed to the resistance of some energy consumers in communities and cities, including private and public sector organisations, to pay electricity bills as at when due.
Managing Director of PHED, Dr Benson Uwheru, who revealed this feat at his maiden parley with media executives in Port Harcourt, last Friday, said the success recorded was in fulfillment of part of Federal Government’s desires for implementing the restructuring of the power sub-sector, last July.
Uwheru also said that the improved performance could not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of management and staff of PHED as well as the confidence, support and cooperation of customers and other stakeholders.
He, however, lamented that despite the sterling performance, no fewer than 70,000 customers have refused to pay for energy consumed over the last six months.
While appealing to all stakeholders to support and cooperate with PHED to accelerate steady electricity supply to customers, Uwheru quickly reminded energy consumers reluctant to pay bills that when both parties fulfill their obligations, there would be more electricity to drive industrialisation, boost job creation, enhance social and economic development, and promote peaceful coexistence, just as it also helps reduce poverty, crime rate and violence in the franchise states.
The Tide recalls that in early June, 2022, the energy distribution company had raised the alarm that consumers in Rivers State alone were owing the company more than N16billion on defaults from bills payment, just as it regretted the rising spate of attacks on PHED staff, vandalisation of facilities, energy theft and metre bypass.
But expressing optimism that things were beginning to turn around for the better, Uwheru said that with a determined management team, motivated workforce, and a customer base that was increasingly showing understanding following sustained sensitisation and awareness on the need to pay for energy bills, a more congenial atmosphere to facilitate electricity supply that meets rising demands would soon emerge.
He said that to achieve the energy for all goal set by the Federal Government, PHED has targeted to install pre-paid metres for no fewer than 10percent of the outstanding 40percent unmetred customers by December, 2022, adding that the company had earlier metred 60percent of its unmetred customers in the four states.
Uwheru further said available records show that PHED had metred 100percent of customers allocated to it by the Federal Government in the phase zero of the pre-paid metring regime, and expressed confidence that the company would be given its pride of place in the anticipated phase one of the metre manufacturers (MAP Vendors) scheme under the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission-supervised National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) to enable it meet the expectations of the over one million unmetred customers.
The Tide investigations show that 4Power Consortium Limited, owners of PHED, had inherited a huge profile of about 800,000 unmetred customers from Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in November, 2013, a culmination of 14-year power reform policy, and immediately launched an aggressive pre-paid metering campaign across its franchise states.
In 2020, it procured and distributed 79,000 pre-metres to customers who had indicated interest to transition from analogue to pre-paid metering structure; and in 2021, PHED procured more than 400,000 new pre-paid metres for distribution to customers, to reduce the demand-supply gap.
Out of that number, PHED had installed more than 149,000 pre-paid metres in homes and offices of desiring customers as at June, 2022, and targets to close the gap more with installation of pre-paid metres for over 10percent of the remaining enumerated unmetred customers by December.
On standardisation of processes and optimisation of performance, Uwheru said that a new technology App that meets global best practices has been developed and would soon be deployed to ensure simplified and seamless bills processing and payment system and guarantee fairness to all in the value chain.
The managing director also listed massive vandalisation of facilities in communities and huge energy theft as well as metre bypass by the rich and poor across all PHED franchise states as some of the major challenges confronting the energy company, and appealed to the media and other key stakeholders, including state and local governments, community leaders and security agencies to partner PHED to achieve set goals.
Between 2019 and June, 2022, the management embarked on proactive redistribution of more than 10 feeders; repaired over 300 transformers; procured and installed over 30 new transformers; and installed more than 10 automatic circuit reclosers to boost and balance electricity supply to customers, who are connected to electricity through more than 10,000 transformers in the network.
In all, PHED imported many 2MVA to 1000MVA transformers to boost distribution capacity; installed, replaced and/or repaired 59 distribution substations; replaced poles; cables of various sizes and types; installed conductors and risers; installed a 60MVA substation at Rumuosi in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area; and concluded talks for bilateral agreement with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) and First Independent Power Company Limited (FIPC) to evacuate 100MW and 20MW electricity, respectively, within the franchise area.
It also intervened by supporting the rehabilitation of facilities of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), to ensure uninterrupted power supply to its valued customers.
On people’s management, Uwheru noted that on assumption of duty in July, he initiated working visits to all security formations in the franchise states, adding that the result of that synergy was the setting up of a special unit by the Rivers State Police Command to respond to PHED concerns, saying that other formations were also partnering with the DisCo to enable it perform its duties without let or hindrance.
Uwheru also restated his readiness to respect the rights of workers and work with the labour unions to ensure that issues around the welfare of staff were prioritised, as according to him, an energised and motivated workforce was an enabler for scaling up profitability and growth in the business.
The Tide checks reveal that before he took over in July, PHED management had procured and put to use over 100 vehicles; procured over 1,000 PPEs for technicians and engineers; and 345 ladders to enable technical crews respond to customer needs as quickly as possible.
It also promoted 722 staff in 2021; 62 in August, 2021, and 66 in January, 2022; and launched engineering training scheme where 25 young engineers have already undergone training this year, all geared toward motivating workers.
Uwheru said that the improved revenue collection in August shows enhanced customer confidence in PHED, adding that more pro-people initiatives were being implemented to boost company-customer relations, reduce hostility against PHED staff, as well as curtail other sticky issues of energy theft, metre bypass, and vandalisation of critical electricity assets.
Before July, PHED had intensified public enlightenment campaigns across all the franchise states to create awareness on the dangers of vandalisation of electricity assets, consequences of energy theft, and the blow-back of refusal to pay for electricity consumed by customers.
In addition to media campaigns and public education initiatives, special community liaison officers/teams had been engaging beneficiary communities to further deepen interactions with the aim of fostering understanding and cooperation while creating buy-in of stakeholders to protect PHED facilities and also ensure improved revenue inflow.
To consolidate on the gains already made, PHED also began implementing impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR) programmes that contribute to national development in many ways through interventions to enhance quality education, healthcare delivery and social development in communities, particularly among the vulnerable ones.
The initiatives include the donation of over 1,400 bags of rice to vulnerable people during the COVID-19 pandemic era in 2020; organisation of women’s week and visit to Motherless Babies’ Home, and Home for the Elderly in Port Harcourt in 2020; as well as supply of complete set of school bags to one of the state government-owned primary schools in Port Harcourt.
The PHED further sponsored Innovate Arts Academy for schools worth over N2.8million in Bayelsa State in 2021; school children’s competition in 2021; and donation of over 1,000 writing materials during the 2022 Children’s Day to schools in Rivers and Cross River states.
Uwheru said that his team would continue with the good policies already helping to scale up the company’s performance while introducing new strategies to bridge existing gaps, including keying into the walk-for-security road show and featuring on live interactive media programmes in Port Harcourt, among others.
By: Nelson Chukwudi
The Mayor of Housing, My-ACE China, has alerted the Governor of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, and Abia states to what he calls an emerging ‘Economic Triangle’ within their states.
Mr China, a real estate success strategist who has won numerous local and international awards, has thus drawn the attention of the governors of the concerned states to the emerging development and has urged them to intentionally accelerate the emergence of the economic triangle.
Speaking to newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital at the conclusion of his business trip to the state, Mr China, who is the managing director of the Housing and Construction Mayor Limited, said the envisaged economic corridor would compete favourably with the Lagos economic hub or even better.
He said: “Talking about ‘Economic Triangle’, the only place that can wrest economic power from Lagos is Akwa Ibom, Abia, and Rivers states axis or corridor. This corridor contains more than Lagos has, if they can be interconnected with smooth roads, ports, and if their blue potentials are unlocked. They will not only wrest power from Lagos but would be more lucrative.”
The investor who is behind the emerging Alesa Highlands Green Smart City in Eleme, near Port Harcourt, said the new ‘Economic Triangle’ has a bigger potential due to massive land assets with the corridor plus blue economy and the existing hydrocarbon industry.
Explaining, Mayor of Housing said Aba (Abia State) provides the biggest fabrication capacity in West Africa to supply goods to the Gulf of Guinea; Port Harcourt provides access to the Gulf of Guinea for off-taking Aba products, and the Uyo provides deep sea port at Ibaka and international airport facilities as well as forest reserves for massive agro-economy.
He said with sea ports in Rivers State and deep seaport in Akwa Ibom, and international airports in Rivers and Akwa Ibom, Aba can focus on adequate power supply and fabrication boom to supply a new booming market around the economic triangle.
By doing this, he said, jobs would spill out in huge quantities and more manufacturers would be drawn from all over Africa to boost the fast coming African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA). He said Nigeria would thus have two major trade nodes in West Africa; Lagos and the PH/UYO/Aba triangle.
He said goods going to or coming from Chad, Niger, and the rest of Central Africa can head to the Lagos ports or to the Ibaka/PH ports zone in the new economic triangle.
He said with power supply made stable, good roads, excellent security system, and ease of doing business enthroned in the zone, the South-South and South East would become the biggest economic nerve in the near future.
Mayor of Housing called on governors of the three states to be intentional about the new corridor, put away political differences (if any), and create this corridor by agreeing on projects each state would execute with a short period of time so the states would be linked by good roads, communication, security, trade laws, concessions to investors, etc.
He remarked that northerners were already heading to the Onne Port in Rivers State to export goods, saying creating a commission to oversee the development of the ‘Economic Triangle’ would fast-track its emergence.
He observed that people of the three states are peaceful and usually preoccupied with zeal for economic prosperity, saying that if they are linked to such huge opportunities staring at them in the emerging economic triangle, they would totally shun violence and focus on prosperity.
Mr China insisted that the emerging economic triangle would form a big node not only into the Gulf of Guinea economic zone but into Africa because AfCFTA is about production, certification, market availability, and easy transport nodes by sea and air. He said the new economic triangle boasts of all the factors.
“They can only realise this by working together, through collaboration. One state cannot do it but a triangle of the three will create it through seamless interconnection, ports, industrial park, etc. The people will be the richest and internally generated revenue (IGR) will be the biggest in the country,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu has sent the names of 32 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, days after he sent the first batch of three names.
Among them are the immediate past chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mahmud Yakubu, an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri (Delta), and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, among others.
“In two separate letters to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu asked the Senate to consider and confirm expeditiously 15 nominees as career ambassadors and 17 nominees as non-career ambassadors,” read a statement on Saturday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
In the statement titled, ‘Tinubu nominates 32 additional ambassadors,’ Onanuga noted, “There are four women on the career ambassadors’ list and six women on the non-career ambassadors’ list.”
“Among the non-career ambassador designates are Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia, a former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta), former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmud Yakubu, former Ekiti first lady, Erelu Adebayo, and former Enugu governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
“Others are Tasiu Musa Maigari, the former speaker of the Katsina House of Assembly, Yakubu N. Gambo, a former Commissioner in Plateau State and former Deputy Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission.
“Professor Nora Ladi Daduut, a former senator from Plateau; Otunba Femi Pedro, a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Femi Fani-Kayode, a former aviation minister from Osun State; and Nkechi Ufochukwu from Anambra State are on the nomination list,” the statement read.
Also on the list are former First Lady of Oyo, Fatima Florence Ajimobi, former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande, former Adamawa Senator, Grace Bent, former governor of Abia, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, businessman, lawyer and Senator from Ondo State, and the former ambassador of Nigeria to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu from Benue State.
Among the nominees for career ambassador and high commissioner-designates are: Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi) and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).
The other nominees are Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah(Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara) and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).
“The new nominees are expected to be posted to countries with which Nigeria maintains excellent and strategic bilateral relations, such as China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, Kenya, and to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.
“All the nominees will know their diplomatic assignments after their confirmation by the Senate,” it read.
Last week, Tinubu sent three ambassadorial nominees for screening and confirmation.
The nominees were Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and Retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun).
All three are in the pot for posting to the UK, USA, or France after their confirmation.
“More nominees for ambassadorial positions will be announced soon,” Onanuga revealed.
The Secretary to Rivers State Government, Dr. Benibo Anabraba, has reiterated that the administration of Governor Siminalayi Fubara remains committed to improving access to quality education at all levels.
Dr. Anabraba gave the assurance while receiving the Deputy Registrar/Zonal Coordinator of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), Mr Ayanfemi Adeniran-Amusan in Port Harcourt during a courtesy visit.
He emphasised that Governor Fubara remains resolute in sustaining investment in the education sector to improve the quality of teaching and learning.
According to him, “We appreciate the work you are doing and know that our students are amongst the highest in ranking.
“His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, takes education very seriously. He is sponsoring the free registration of students for the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) in Government Schools.
“Also, Governor Fubara has approved the establishment of Computer-Based Test (CBT) Centres across the State’s three senatorial districts and the 23 LGAs. The project is intended to improve access to digital learning and examination facilities for students so that our children are at breast with digital literacy, a prerequisite for today’s students.
“We are currently working assiduously to get those centres, both mega and mini, across the three senatorial districts and the 23 local government ready in order to meet up with your deadline,” he said.
The SSG also conveyed the assurances of the Governor to WAEC on Government’s willingness in providing land for its Zonal Office.
Earlier, the Deputy Registrar/Zonal Coordinator of the West African Examination Council, Mr Ayanfemi Adeniran-Amusan, promised to collaborate with the State Government in matters concerning education development.
In another development, the Secretary to State Government, Dr Benibo Anabraba, also met with officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons, NAPTIP, led by the Assistant Director of Intelligence, Rivers State Command, Barr. Ikediashi Nwamaka.
The SSG while appreciating the Agency for its effort in the protection of vulnerable persons, also raised Government’s concern on the activities of orphanages and care homes in unwholesome practices such as child trafficking, abuse of underaged girls also known as baby-factory, and the lack of regulations on surrogacy.
He however assured that the Rivers State Government has already put plans in place towards legislation to regulate these acts against vulnerable persons, particularly women and children.
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