02 May 2013, Port Harcourt – The Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Thursday, decried the high rate of meter by-passing by consumers in the city.
Mr Obidili Onuwah, the PHCN spokesman in Rivers told the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt that the company had incurred losses due to meter by-pass.
He said the company would soon commence a house-to-house search exercise to fish out consumers who had by-passed their Prepaid and Post-paid meters to avoid recharging it.
Onuwah said the trend had become worrisome to the company and that any consumer found guilty of by-passing the meter would be sanctioned.
“There are consumers that are by-passing our meter; they are by-passing the meters and making their (electricity) consumption not to register in the meter.
“I want to inform members of the public and our customers that there is a penalty for meter by-pass and tampering of PHCN equipment.
“A penalty of N50, 000 awaits anybody that tampers with our Pre-paid and Post-Paid meters,” he said.
Onuwah called on members of the public to report anyone found to have tampered with PHCN facilities in the state.
