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Power firm promises prepaid meters in 18 months

By on April 18, 2014

THE new owners of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, 4Power Consortium, has promised to deliver prepaid meters to electricity consumers in Rivers, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom and Cross River states within 18 months.

The Managing Director of the organisation, Mr. Matthew Edevbie, made this pledge on Wednesday when members of the House of Representatives Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation paid a visit to the company in Port Harcourt.

Edevbie explained that the company had been given a directive to distribute prepaid metres to electricity consumers within 18 months, adding that his organisation would strive to meet the target.

He said, “We have been given 18 months to provide consumers prepaid metres and we believe that within the 18 months, if we don’t do it 100 per cent, we would have at least done more than 80 per cent.”

Lamenting that electricity consumers were not willing to pay their bills, Edevbie listed the existence of old distribution network as part of the challenges facing the company.

He said measures were already in place to educate consumers, and improve power distribution for the benefit of the people.

On the complaint about bogus bills by consumers, Edevbie said, “Before a bill is estimated, there is a formula for estimation approved by the regulator and we actually come into your home and look at what your systems are and then estimate the bills.

“But very few bills are estimated; other bills are metered. People do not use electricity wisely; they go to work and leave all their electrical equipment on. Those things are consuming power. If the consumer does not use his electricity wisely, then he is going to pay more.”

Earlier, the Chairperson of the House Committee on Privatisation and Commercialisation, Khadijat Abba Ibrahim, had told journalists that they were in Port Harcourt to ascertain the improvement made by the new owners of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company.

[Punch]