Over 600 electricity consumers protest poor power supply in Calabar

No fewer than 600 electricity consumers from Efut Musaha Clan in Calabar South, Cross River State, on Thursday stormed the Customer Care Centre of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) to express their grievances over poor services.
The protesters carried different placards with inscriptions such as “We pay huge bills without light’, `Calabar South has been in darkness for over six months now’, PHEDC, we say no to estimated billing system’, among others.
The spokesperson for the protesters, Mr. Daniel Denis, decried the fact that the people of Efut Musaha Clan were still paying their electricity bills even in the absence of power supply, adding that the payment would stop henceforth.
“Henceforth, residents of Efut Musaha Clan will no longer pay any dime into the coffers of PHEDC unless light is quickly restored in the area.
“God himself does not dwell in darkness and anybody who wants the people to live in darkness is an agent of darkness.
“We will adopt no light, no pay policy in this area because we can no longer afford to pay bills and live in darkness.
“We have suffered blackout for long despite the fact that we make payment to the coffers of PHEDC monthly.’’
Denis, however, urged the management of PHEDC in the state to monitor the activities of its staff in the billing department, saying that some flats in the area were now been charged N25,000 as against N12,000 monthly.
Another protester, Mrs Uduak Okon, appealed to the management of PHEDC in the state to do the normal calculation with a view to ensuring the distribution of accurate electricity bills to consumers.
In a remark, His Royal Highness, Mkpang Bassey-Edet, Clan Head of Efut Musagha Clan, maintained that he and his subjects will no longer pay electricity bills in the area until adequate power was restored.
Responding, Mr George Chinwo, the PHEDC Business Manager in the state, who addressed the protesters, thanked them for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner.
Chinwo assured them that the company was doing its best to restore power in the area.
On the issues of estimated billing, he also assured them that the company would look into the matter with a view to making the payment system easy for the people.