Like the African landlord and tenant relationship, where on many occasions, levies or changes are imposed without prior notice, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) recently appeared in several neighborhoods across Port Harcourt, installing new and more sophisticated meters.
According to the agents who came on behalf of PHED, these new meters would make it impossible for customers to bypass or tamper with power connections, regardless of how their cables were previously installed. This, they explained, would help curb energy theft and ensure that power distribution aligns more fairly with revenue collection, a commendable initiative that, if well-managed, could help address some of the nation’s persistent power distribution challenges.
While I applaud PHED for this technological improvement, I must question the manner in which they carried it out. The company gave no proper notice to customers before arriving to install the new meters, as it is done in saner climes.
Such actions raise concerns about the rights PHED has over its customers, especially when these installations come with potential expenses that consumers should be allowed to prepare for.
Beyond the lack of prior notice, the agents also demanded payment for workmanship and for the wires used during the meter installation. Failure to pay, they said, would result in customers remaining without power until they complied.
As expected, many residents complied simply to avoid being cut off. Some residents around Woji (near the NNPC Filling Station) reported that they were charged and paid these fees, while those in and around Echendu said they paid nothing.
After completing the installations, PHED agents took away the old meters, some of which, according to residents, still contained unused units. Customers were told these old units would be returned within 14 working days, but to date, none have been returned. This raises further concerns about transparency and accountability.
The issue now goes beyond the cost of workmanship or reconnection fees. The real problem lies in the manner a company, now privately owned, can enter communities and make significant changes without consulting or adequately informing the people it serves.
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If you are Nigerian, you’ll understand that the pattern initiatives often begin with good intentions but end in disorganization and neglect. Prices rise and never fall again, even when the conditions that caused the increase have improved.
It’s important, therefore, to alert all Port Harcourt residents: PHED may continue to make decisions affecting users directly or indirectly, such as equipment replacements, without giving proper notice or engaging customers beforehand.
If I were part of PHED’s decision-making team, I would insist that customers receive at least a one-month notice before any major, non-emergency change is carried out, especially when such changes might require payment. This would give consumers time to prepare financially and mentally, while also building trust between the company and its customers.
This may not seem like a major concern today, but if such practices continue unchecked, they could set a dangerous precedent.
Just as we have tolerated frequent power outages without demanding accountability, we may someday find ourselves powerless, literally and figuratively, because we failed to act when these warning signs first appeared.
