Lottery commission lists four-point agenda to reposition agency

THE National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) is putting in place a four-point agenda that will further reposition the agency for better performances as one of the revenue generating agency for government in the future.

This include: To automate the monitoring and regulation processes of lottery in Nigeria, secure an enhanced salary package for staff, move into its own complex and become the highest revenue generating agency for government.

The Director-General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission, Ekpe Adolphus Joe, made this known at the weekend in his address to the Lottery Achievers Award, 2015 to mark its 10th year anniversary in Abuja.

Meanwhile, the commission conferred on The Guardian Newspapers a media honour of excellence – Silver Glass Plaque Award, for its collaboration and support in sensitising the public on the importance of lottery to the nation.

The award was received by the Abuja Bureau Chief of the newspaper, Mohammed Abubakar, on behalf of the Editor, Martins Oloja.

The director-general further said, “These goals are achievable within two years. We solicit for greater support from the Federal Government to protect the commission against interests that would want to work contrary to the goals and aspirations of the commission.”

Ekpe said that the potentials of lottery are enormous in our country, but that what remains to be done is to effectively and efficiently harness these potentials through automation and good management.

Earlier in a welcome address, chairman of the occasion, Henry Uwadiae, said that the various activities of the anniversary from the awareness road walk to the stakeholders conference and lottery exhibition focused on how to re-position the lottery industry, turn the human capital of the nation into an economic asset, with an annual revenue yield amounting to billions of naira.

According to him, from a humble beginning in 2015, the commission has been able to bring lottery from the seeming obscurity to national limelight, contributing modestly to national good causes, stressing that in 10 years of regulation, the commission has been able to bring order into an hitherto chaotic business of lottery in Nigeria.