The outstanding bills estimated to be billions of naira, in the new management’s thinking, would go a long way to enhancing the fortunes of the company if recovered. In view of this, they charged the re-engaged workers from PHCN to recover the debts at all cost.
Some of the workers who spoke to The Guardian under the condition of anonymity disclosed that the management hinged the confirmation of their re-engagement, which is currently under six months probation on their impressive performance in the old debt recovering drive.
They said their aggressive efforts so far to meet target were being frustrated by consumers’ refusal to pay. They the consumers have been giving the excuse that the old era of PHCN, which was characterized by fraudulent estimated billing was now over and what they want now was an improvement in the supply of electricity from the new company, which they also expect to come up with new accurate billing system with prepaid meters devoid of fraud.
“No consumer is willing to pay the old outstanding bills especially in view of the prevailing poor electricity supply in Lagos occasioned by shortage of natural gas.
“They (consumers) are expecting the new PHCN owners to introduce prepaid meters, which would eradicate cheating in billing system before they can start to pay. They regard government’s handing over of electricity supply to new owners as freedom from the old the debts they owed the defunct PHCN,” said one of the sources.
According to him, during the PHCN era, whenever we wanted to go out to demand payment for bills in an area, we would first restore light to the area to make the consumers to be happy and be willing to pay their bills. When we get to the area and put a ladder on a pole to disconnect their light, the consumers would not want the light that had just come to their houses to be cut off, so, they would go to the nearest PHCN’s office in the locality to pay up. But as soon as we were done with the area, the light would go off and directed to the next areas where we want to demand payment. That was the strategy that experience taught us to adopt to compel consumers to pay during the old era. But this time around, under the new regime, the existing poor electricity supply does not allow us to do that and that is frustrating our effort,” the source said.
The staff, who said that they were worried about the ugly development enjoined the management to reconsider the use of their performance on old debt recovery as yardstick to confirm their probationary appointment.
Efforts to get the management’s comment on the complaint were unsuccessful as the time of going to press.
Source: Guardian
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