Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Plc (PHED) has held a series of enlightenment programmes for customers in Calabar as the utility company resolves over 17000 complaints monthly.
Head of Corporate Communications, Olubukola Ilevbare, disclosed that the current management, under the leadership of the Managing Director, Ete Pinnick, is determined to ensure that the company does the right thing within the principles of its core values to meet the yearnings of customers.
She stressed that the series of enlightenment programmes like Customer Enlightenment and Complaint Redress Forum, Community Engagement, Safety Campaign in Schools, Markets, Public Spaces and Media Enlightenment were designed to enable customers to engage directly with the management as critical stakeholders.
It was observed that during the customer enlightenment and complaint redressal forum, which was in line with the company’s corporate obligation to continuous customer enlightenment and also in conformity with the directive of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), some business challenges were revealed.
Customers were told that the company has been experiencing challenges like energy theft & meter bypass, right-of-way contravention, non-payment of bills and vandalism threatening the sustainability of the company. On the other hand, they were enlightened on customer rights and obligations, service-based/cost reflective tariff, meter deregulation, corruption etc. After the sensitisation, customers were sighted, tendering different categories of complaints during the resolution session as critical issues under the commercial category were resolved on the spot with the assistance of the Regional Customer Service Team.
In the same vein, while addressing customers with technical issues like transformer replacement, vandalised equipment, burnt meters etc., Head of Customer Services, Angella Ajere, said that the company resolves over 17,000 complaints monthly.
She explained the company’s policies/processes involved in replacing such equipment and assured them of management’s commitment of a timely response to resolve all technical issues.
As part of the enlightenment programs, there was an engagement with some communities most notably Nyangasan Community comprising over 12 clans. Olubukola said that management has devised a proactive approach by taking community engagement to the doorstep of communities to nip teething in the bud before it boomerangs. While deliberating on a host of issues, she solicited collaboration in bill payment and the protection of the company’s assets to avert vandalism.
Another critical enlightenment initiative that took place was the safety campaign in schools, markets and public spaces. Students were tutored on good safety practices in and outside the home especially during the rainy season as currently experienced. There was a presentation of fully equipped first aid boxes presented to the schools as their management commended PHED for the goodwill.
Also, members of the public with the habit of trading or residing under the power lines were told about the dangers of carrying out such activities but not limited to electrocution. The campaign was very intense at the famous Mariam market being that the market is a red flag area as safety pamphlets were distributed to shed more light on the associated dangers.
