State Assembly Probes Alleged Theft Of Electric Meters In Akwa Ibom

The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, has launched probe into alleged fraud and other unwholesome practices by the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) including diversion of prepaid electric meters facilitated by the federal government and the World Bank.

LEADERSHIP gathered that aggrieved electricity consumers under the aegis of the Akwa Ibom Electricity Consumers Forum (AKECOF) had petitioned against the electricity distribution firm to the House of Assembly, alleging deliberate compromise in the large scale sleaze perpetrated by the PHEDC in the last couple of years.

Worried by the unrestrained extortion of consumers, the AKECOF, had in the last few days, heightened its advocacy engagements aimed at ending electricity fraud, promoting service accountability, and ensuring power justice for consumers across Akwa Ibom State.

However, following intense advocacy campaigns, the House of Assembly on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, deliberated on the  AKECOF’s petition against the PHEDC, on the floor of the House.

The petition, which exposed the alleged illegal hoarding and sale of free Presidential and World Bank prepaid meters, as well as overbilling on estimated bills, was subsequently referred to the House Committee on Public Utilities for further investigation.

“The Committee is mandated to invite PHEDC, AKECOF, and other relevant authorities for a fact-finding session and to report back to the House within two weeks,” the House presided over by the Speaker, Udeme Otong (Abak), stated.

“This marks a significant step in addressing long-standing irregularities in the state’s electricity distribution and restoring fairness to consumers,” Akan Essien, a welding and fabrication engineer, noted.

Towards curbing the power sector menace, the leadership of AKECOF, led by the chancellor, Barr. Clifford Thomas; the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, Chief Ubong Akpan, and the state director, Dr. Victor David, has enlisted the  Department of State Service (DSS), for strict enforcement.

During the advocacy visit, the group solicited for “a strategic collaboration to safeguard national power infrastructure and combat fraudulent practices within the electricity sector.”

And the DSS pledged full support, assuring that “the Service will investigate all reports of meter racketeering, inflated billing, and other acts of economic sabotage.”

In the same vein, AKECOF, also visited the state chapter of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), where both bodies agreed to jointly pursue the cause of power justice for workers and households across the state.

The NLC chairman, Comrade Sunny James, condemned the poor state of power supply despite heavy consumer payments and pledged to partner with AKECOF in “ensuring transparency and affordable electricity in Akwa Ibom.”

“These engagements collectively reaffirm AKECOF’s unwavering commitment to advocate for accountable electricity service delivery, equitable meter distribution, and improved power accessibility in line with the directives of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) under the Presidential Metering Initiative and World Bank Free Metering Intervention Project,” the AKECOF delegation explained.

“We are calling on the state House of Assembly to ensure a thorough investigation into the metering initiative; The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to impose strict sanctions on PHEDC, for any proven complicity in meter diversion or estimated billing fraud.

“The Federal Ministry of Power should guarantee that Akwa Ibom consumers receive their fair share of the free meters allocated under the national metering programmes.

“As a Forum, we insist that PHED must be held accountable and must henceforth deliver electricity services in strict compliance with NERC-approved tariffs and minimum supply requirements for each consumer band.

“This is not merely a call for better service; it is a call for justice, fairness, and the restoration of consumer confidence in the power sector,” the power consumers charged.