Efio-Ita Nyok|22 September 2017
Mr Akiba Ekpenyong, a resident in Calabar and social media user yesterday took out time to explain the mystery behind the vandalism of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution company facilities especially transformers using an incident in Calabar, Cross River State as a case study. Mr Ekpenyong particularly roped both casual and main staff in the complicity to milk unsuspecting PHED customers dry!
The obviously disappointed PHED customer submitted categorically that Casual Staff of PHED have constituted themselves into vandalism cartels in collusion with Main Staff who go about vandalising PHED installations in respective areas, then turn around to request designated sum of money for fixing what they have stolen.
Customer Ekpenyong narrated a remote incident at PHED transformer installation at Calabar Road by White House. See his narration:
'Just discovered that PHED/NEPA is in the habit of employing casual staff. Let's look at this:
1. They can leave any day.
2. They go about disconnecting cables from power source of consumers and turn back the following day for reconnection after payment of bribe.
3. They go about removing elements from transformers and ask each compound to pay for its replacements.
4. In a transformer at Calabar Road by White House, sealed with protectors and key which is kept by PHED at their office at Atu Street, Calabar, the keys intact with no damage to it and metal protectors, but the transformer is vandalized and each compound is asked to pay #10,000 after paying #5,000 last year for same issue.
5. Citizens now pay for replacements of transformers, cables, elements, and still pay bills.
6. The casual staff of PHED is now vandalism cartels aided by the main staff.
7. Since March, 2017, this axis is with no electric power and PHED staff who came promised not to restore power since the community refused paying #10,000 per compound'.
By querying when prepaid metres will be given to customers, Ekpenyong seem to very saying that, it may be deliberate on the part of PHED to refrain from distributing prepaid metres to enable them play fast one on their unsuspecting customers: 'When would this mess stop, when would prepaid meters be given to this community? When I was informed that the axis is tagged "business line", I wonder what spare part do with power, if power is used to manufacturer used parts being sold there? Fraud everywhere', Ekpenyong concluded.
Hmmm! This country is messed!
Efio-Ita Nyok
Is a Blogger, the Editor & Publisher of NegroidHaven
