Who will save us from PHCN’s extortion?

PHCN workers

By Paul Arhewe

It is one annoying and disingenuous engagement. Staffers of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) are unrelenting in the extortion game. They subject the hapless consumers of the product that comes in trickles to pay outrageous bills. The merciless staffers of this government agency whose services are usually epileptic and scarcely available have taken it as their right to distribute falsified bills even when officials of the corporation have stopped reading electric meters. Let them tell Nigerians what it is if their management allocates targets to them without care whether their consumers get services or not?

In past I have paid many of these exorbitant bills even when there is no commensurate power supply, sometimes less than eight hours provision of power in a month. I have heard several complaints from Nigerians saddled with similar burden of exploitations.

However, for me, the most annoying experience was last February, when my land-lord brought the bill for my flat, when it was glaring that for almost two months we have not seen electric power supply in the area where I reside. I out rightly told him to count me out and that I won’t pay for what I had not consumed. I told him, it was better they climbed the electric pole and remove their cables. This would make no difference as I most times rely on generator for power. I finally paid that bill grudgingly. Almost a month after, power has not been restored; most likely another bill would be distributed next week. For the next bill, certainly, I won’t be arm-twisted again to pay.

How long would Nigerians continue to tolerate these fraudulent and swindling operations from a government agency? It is the monopoly they enjoy that has made Nigerians to continue to bear their unacceptable antics. No private organisations dare try such with their clients or customers and expect to retain their patronage. How can a government who claims it is fighting corruption and frauds, close its eyes to these daring exploits of one of its agencies? It is high time government stopped and sanctioned PHCN officials for this daylight robbery. Even when it is used as means of generating revenue for the moribund corporation, because they are reaping where they have not sown. This amounts to injustice and should be banned.

It does not portray government in good light when such disingenuous practice is allowed, tolerated and sustained, especially as the world continues to watch sincerity of the country battles against corruption.

Prepaid meters are indeed good alternative to avoid these scandalous bills from the corporation. Apart from its associated restricted use and scarcity, stories abound on how officials create some hurdles to frustrate electric consumers who apply to switch to this new meter. Officials are aware with the use of prepaid meters they cannot take advantage of consumers using dishonest threat to cut their power supply when indebted to the corporation. Also, false bills cannot be forcefully tied to this category of users.

I happen to listen to the complaints of a frustrated power consumer recently. His residence got N9,000 bill for the current month, and in protest against the high bill, despite the absence of power for a month, the man told me he would call other neighbours and they may follow the tactic employed by other people in the area to reduce their bill. I quickly asked, what is this tactic? The man said, they will intentionally leave their bills unpaid for months and then go to PHCN office to ‘settle’ staff who will come to adjust their meters and wipe off the previous bill. Any subsequent bill will be less, with range of N1, 000 to N1, 500.

It is obvious; proceeds from these unofficial settlements usually end up in the private pockets of staff. If they keep getting such illegal kickbacks why would they want to read meters and present accurate bills to power consumers? It is also a wrong practice for PHCN management to set targets for staff when they know they have not provided regular service.

Imposition of any tariff increment in any guise by the corporation, as currently being contemplated, smacks of dishonesty. Under the huge torments of continuous darkness and incessant power outage, tariff increment is unacceptable until the corporation’s service improves. Government should look beyond the dwindling power megawatts the corporation supplies, and quickly address this trend of disservice and exploitation of Nigerians with falsified bills. Syndicate who benefits from this outrageous practice should be identified and flushed out. Government should fast track the process of ending PHCN monopoly in order to save Nigerians this nightmare.