A civil rights organization, ActionAid Nigeria, has protested against proposed upward review of electricity tariff by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The Country Director of AAN, Ene Obi, in a statement in Abuja, argued that an increase in electricity tariff would further erode the purchasing power of Nigerian workers and further impoverish more Nigerians.

She said, “ActionAid’s position is hinged on the premise that previous hike in electricity tariffs had not translated to effective and regulatory strategies to manage the impact of such hikes on macro-economic indices affecting end-users that are currently economically crippled and trapped.

“Instead of this tariff hike, NERC should compel all the actors in the Nigerian electricity supply industry to ensure increased efficiency in the power sector including managing energy losses to make erratic power supply a thing of the past as a way of boosting productivity and Nigeria’s GDP”.

According to Obi, if the purported decision is not reconsidered, the cost of production of basic items produced in the country will increase and this may also lead to job losses in the already ailing medium and small-scale industries.