SCORES of Marine Base residents in Port Harcourt on Monday picketed the corporate headquarters of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company over alleged blackout and estimated billing.

Their protest, who were carrying leaves, paralysed activities at PHED headquarters located along Moscow Road, just as the protesters asked the electricity distribution company to leave the state if it was incapable of providing them with regular power supply.

A group of policemen were, however, on the ground ostensibly to avert the breakdown of law and order by the protesters.

One of the protesters, Christian wondered why a consumer using only a standing fan and one television would be told to pay N14,000 every month.

Christian, who said he was representing residents at Borokiri 11 feeder, stressed that the protest was aimed at making PHED officials to stop estimated bill and provide regular power supply to Marine Base residents.

Explaining that the next protest will be hell, he called on PHED to leave Rivers State if the company was not capable of providing 24 hours power supply to residents.

He said, “We have been having this issue; for the past eight months, we have been going to their office to have peaceful talk with them. The last meeting we held with them, they said they would give us 14 hours light daily.

“Sometimes, if they bring the light now, we will not see the light for the next three days. The next thing you see is estimated billing. How can a woman using one fan, one television be given N14,000? I went to their office, one Mr. Wifer asked me if I was the owner of the bill. He told me to allow the owner to come and speak for herself.

“But I am the person representing the area. He (Mr. Wilfer) did not even listen to me. Now, we are ready for them. What we need now is the light and we are not going to negotiate hours of supply. How can an entire community come to PHED to negotiate when to have the light and when to take the light?

“How can I be in a state and buy fuel to run my car and also buy fuel to run generator so that I can do my business? That is unacceptable. We are tired and we can’t take it anymore. Our mothers are crying; the children are already down because of the heat.

“We are all saying that we need light or PHED should leave Rivers State. We need nothing less than 24 hours power supply. If they say no, let them leave this state. Borokiri 33 and Borokiri 11 are saying all we need is stable power supply. The next protest will be hell.”

Kingsley, another resident of Marine Base, lamented that the lack of electricity supply to his area had made it difficult for him to have sex with his wife in the past three weeks.

“Due to the heatwave and the absence of electricity supply, my wife and I do not have sex again. The moment my wife’s body touches me, I tell her to shift back because I am hot. Just because of what PHED is doing, my wife and I cannot enjoy the benefit of sex,” he stressed.

Another protester, who simple identified himself as Amadi, explained that they had been suffering total blackout for over a month, adding that PHED officials still brought electricity bill when no electricity was supplied.

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“This is what they do; each time there is Premier League, they will collect bribe and they will not give us light. Each time there is Champions League, they will not give us light. We have been suffering total blackout for over a month.

“They have collected this month’s bill and after promising to give us 24 hours light, we have seen nothing. So, if they are not going to give us 24 hours light, they should go.”

A businessman from the area, who identified himself as Ben, said, “The light issue is giving us serious concern. For the past three weeks, I have been running my business on generator. I have not made a dime as profit.

“But when it gets to the day to collect money, they  will come with their estimated bills. We are telling PHED now to go or give us back the money we have paid. Giving us bills without light is unacceptable.”

However, John Onyi, PHED Manager, Corporate Communications, explained that the limitation being faced by the firm was based on what was received from the national grid.

Onyi said, “It is based on what we receive from the national grid that we distribute to our customers. Today, being Monday, what we received from the national grid this morning was 241.76 megawatts.

“All the feeders cannot be on board at the same time. So, we embark on load systematic shedding. We understand the way they feel; many customers out there want regular power supply.

On the issue of estimated bills, we are in the era of energy accountability. What we have in the system is about 15,144 customers; that is the application we have received so far as people desiring to get meters. So, people are not forthcoming.”

Still on estimated billing, he added that PHED management had put in place a redress mechanism, where people could walk into any PHED office and get their bills reconciled.

“If you are contesting your bills, please, walk to the PHED office and get it resolved,” he added.