CSR: Rivers Schools Commend Port Harcourt Disco for Distribution of Free Meters

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED), has distributed meters to select government schools in Rivers State.

The PHED also carried out sensitisation programme tagged ‘School Safety Campaign’, for students in the selected schools on various aspects of electrical safety.

Speaking with THISDAY shortly after the presentation exercise at Government Model Secondary School, GRA, Port Harcourt, PHED Head of Corporate Communications, Mrs. Olubukola Ilevbare, said, “as a socially responsible organisation, one of the things that we do in PHED is to make sure that we touch the lives of our customers by giving back to them. We are not only invested in payment of bills, but also what we can do to directly impact our local communities. Hence, this exercise, which will also be replicated in the three other states in our franchise – Bayelsa, Cross River and Akwa Ibom States.

On how schools were selected, Ilevbare said: “We didn’t just select schools randomly, rather, on needs basis.”

She disclosed that the management of PHED, led by the MD/CEO, Ete Pinnick went a step further to write off the outstanding bills accrued in some of the schools where the meters were distributed, giving them the opportunity to have a clean slate in their electricity consumption.

Responding to the gesture, principals of the schools thanked the PHED and promised to protect and maintain the metres.

The Principal of Model Senior Secondary School, GRA, Tamunoinaba Phillips, stated that students have had to cope with unconducive learning environment due to lack of electricity.

“I want to sincerely thank the management of PHED. We are not taking this for granted. We know how much it costs is to buy fuel for the generators. When the weather is hot it is difficult to sit in classrooms, if not that it’s compulsory they just sit. Now you’ve given us meter at no cost and also cancelled the debt of over N1.5 million that accrued from previous bills, we are grateful. The only thing is for us to get fans for the students to enjoy the light,” she said.

To the students she said, “when valuable things are given to you, you must protect it. So you will guide the meters. If you see students walking near the meters you shout, you report to the vice principals, to the principals, even to the senior prefect because what you have that is valuable must be guided. You will not allow anybody to vandalise it.”

Also, the Principal of Government Secondary School (GSS) Borokiri, Nwala Uzoma, said, “I was overwhelmed with joy and happiness on the bill of N500,000 that had been on our neck, because I came in 2024 and inherited that debt. But today they have come to write it off for us.

“As a school, we sincerely appreciate all the good things you have shown today to us and we pray God to keep your company flying. And we are also promising that as soon as the renovation work is completed we shall be up and about in the use of the meter,” he stated.

Other schools that benefited were: Bernard Carr Secondary School; Community Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS), Rumukrushi; Community Comprehensive Secondary School (CCSS), Rukpokwu; Township Model Primary School II, Moscow Road; Government Secondary School, Borokiri; and Government Secondary School, Umusoya.