6 September 2011, Sweetcrude, Benin – The Management of the PHCN has given reasons behind the delay in the supply of prepaid meters to customers.
The Principal Manager, Public Affairs, Benin zone, Mrs Grace Nwobodo, attributed the delay to logistical challenge.
Nwobodo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin that PHCN, at the beginning, had nothing to do with the supply of the meters which was strictly handled by a South African firm.
She said that PHCN offices only helped and acted as collection and collation points of paid receipts from customers for onward submission to the contractors.
“We, in most cases had to wait to have substantial number of applications before forwarding same to the firm. The process took between three months and four months from the time payments are made and the time the meters are imported and delivered to customers,” she explained.
She, however, said that PHCN had fully taken charge of the process of importing and distributing the meters, hence the reduction of the delay to about a month.
The manager further said: “Management is also contemplating a new initiative that will help customers to have access to meters as soon as they apply and show evidence of payment.
“The initiative is that management will source for the fund to import these meters and have them in store so that customers can quickly have access to them. The only snag is that these sums are likely to be tied down for so long a time as customers’ response may not be as rapid as desired.”
On safety measure, Nwobodo expressed disappointment over the slow response by people who either were trading or had erected buildings under high tension PHCN installation.
She warned that “these people are likely to have cancer infection as a result of radiation from the installations.”
