12/09/2026
Hon. Lasbry Amadi Charged Rivers Lawmakers: Act Now on PHED Blackouts and Service Failures
Former Lawmaker Says Port Harcourt Residents Have Suffered Long Enough, Calls for Legislative Action to Compel PHED to Deliver.
Dez Mayorz Report
Former federal lawmaker, Hon. Lasbry Amadi, has challenged lawmakers representing Port Harcourt at both the National Assembly and the Rivers State House of Assembly to urgently intervene in what he described as the prolonged failure, negligence and excesses of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED).
Amadi made the call while speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the one-year-in-office celebration of the Mayor of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Sir (Hon.) Allwell Ihunda, DSSRS, JP, where the Mayor distributed six electrical transformers to communities and wards across Port Harcourt and presented educational grants worth over ₦100 million to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
The former lawmaker commended Mayor Ihunda for stepping into an area he said should ordinarily be adequately handled by the electricity distribution company, describing the Mayor’s intervention as another demonstration of government delivering the dividends of democracy directly to the people.
“Port Harcourt People Have Suffered in the Hands of PHED”
Amadi expressed particular concern over the persistent electricity crisis in Port Harcourt, arguing that communities have waited for far too long for transformers and reliable electricity supply.
“Again, the Mayor intervenes with transformers for communities as PHED continues to fail totally in their responsibilities.”
He lamented that PHED had, for a long period, failed to provide transformers needed by communities, available ones are obsolete, adding that residents continue to experience darkness even in areas where transformers are available.
“Port Harcourt people have suffered in the hands of PHED. PHED has stopped giving us transformers for a very long time. No light, even with transformers.”
Amadi’s call comes amid growing complaints from electricity consumers across parts of Port Harcourt over prolonged blackouts, inadequate infrastructure, poor fault response and what residents describe as an increasingly frustrating relationship with the distribution company.
The former federal lawmaker did not limit his appeal to verbal condemnation. He specifically charged Port Harcourt’s federal and state lawmakers to take the PHED issue to the floor of the National Assembly and Rivers State House of Assembly.
He called for proactive legislative intervention capable of compelling the electricity distribution company to fulfil its obligations to consumers.
The call raises a broader question of accountability: if communities are paying for electricity services, who should be held responsible when supply remains inadequate, infrastructure fails and consumers are left without power for extended periods?
Amadi’s position is that lawmakers should move from expressions of concern to concrete legislative and regulatory action, examining PHED’s obligations, consumer-protection responsibilities and service standards, and pushing for enforceable measures where the company fails to meet them.
Residents Allege Extortion, Meter Failures and Arbitrary Charges:
Beyond the transformer shortage, residents have raised a range of complaints concerning electricity supply and PHED’s operations.
Some consumers allege that prepaid meters frequently fail, with thunderstorms and power surges reportedly damaging meters and other electrical equipment.
Residents describe some of the affected metering equipment as substandard and say failures often leave households and businesses without electricity for prolonged periods while they await repairs or replacements.
Consumers have also complained about estimated billing, delayed meter installation and replacement, frequent outages, slow response to faults, poor customer service and opaque disconnection procedures.
Particular frustration has been directed at the Band A tariff system, with some consumers questioning why they should pay premium tariffs when the quality and consistency of supply allegedly fall below their expectations.
Some residents have further alleged that electricity charges or tariff-related readings have been altered without adequate explanation to customers, describing such practices, if established, as extortionate and unacceptable.
Residents in parts of Port Harcourt, including Eagle Island, have also raised allegations concerning the handling of customer cables during enforcement, maintenance or other field operations.
Some consumers claim that cables connected to properties have allegedly been removed or diverted by field personnel, prompting demands for a transparent investigation into what happens to customer-owned electrical infrastructure during PHED operations.
Residents have also raised allegations of unofficial charges by some field personnel, while others complain about poor communication and difficulties obtaining timely resolution when faults occur.
One set of allegations circulating among residents concerns a team reportedly associated with an engineer identified as Engr. Tega, with claims that the team has adopted an excessively assertive approach in its operations.
The Cost of Darkness:
For businesses, the consequences of unreliable electricity extend beyond inconvenience.
Business owners say prolonged blackouts force them to rely on alternative sources of power, increasing operating expenses at a time when households and businesses are already facing significant economic pressure.
Small businesses that depend on refrigeration, machinery, computers, lighting and other electricity-dependent equipment are particularly vulnerable to repeated outages and voltage fluctuations.
Residents also complain about the damage that power surges can allegedly cause to household appliances and electrical equipment.
The result, according to affected consumers, is a cycle in which customers pay electricity-related charges while simultaneously spending additional money to provide their own alternative power and replace damaged equipment.
Mayor Ihunda’s Transformer Intervention:
Against this backdrop, Mayor Allwell Ihunda’s distribution of six 500kv transformers has been welcomed by beneficiary communities as a practical intervention in the electricity challenge.
The transformer distribution formed part of a broader first-year scorecard presented by the Mayor, which included interventions in healthcare, education, roads, flood control, environmental sanitation, empowerment and community development.
Lasbry Amadi said the Mayor’s projects have had a direct impact on residents, noting that improved electricity supply could also stimulate economic activity within the beneficiary communities.
He further commended the Mayor for his flood-control interventions, particularly along the Elekahia–Rumuakalogbor link road, Amadi-Ama and the Sangana Street axis in Diobu.
The growing complaints have renewed calls for lawmakers and regulators to move decisively.
Rather than allowing electricity complaints to remain a recurring political talking point, residents want the relevant authorities to establish clear obligations for distribution companies, enforce existing service standards and ensure that consumers receive value for the tariffs they are required to pay.
They are also calling for greater transparency in metering, billing, disconnections and field operations, as well as proper investigation of allegations involving cable removal, unofficial charges, meter failures and other consumer complaints.
For Amadi, the intervention by Mayor Ihunda should serve as a wake-up call to lawmakers.
The argument is straightforward: when a local government chairman is compelled to provide transformers to communities because residents are struggling with electricity supply, lawmakers should be asking why the distribution company responsible for the network has not adequately addressed the problem and what legal or regulatory mechanisms are available to compel it to do so.
“Indeed, the Mayor Has Delivered the Dividends of Democracy”
While criticising the electricity situation, Amadi praised Mayor Ihunda’s first-year performance, declaring:
“Indeed, the Mayor has delivered dividends of democracy to the people.”
He described Ihunda as “the political chief of old blocks”, stressing that the Mayor’s projects have had direct effects on the people.
The former lawmaker said the transformer intervention could help improve economic activity, while also commending the administration’s interventions across Port Harcourt.
As the complaints over PHED’s electricity services continue to mount, the demand from residents and stakeholders is increasingly shifting from promises to accountability, enforceable standards and action.
The message to lawmakers is clear: raise the PHED question, investigate the allegations, strengthen oversight and, where necessary, enact or support measures that will compel the company to do the needful.
Dez Mayorz Report
September 12, 2026