Nigeria Lottery Business to Experience Growth

The Director-General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila, has said the country would experience growth in the lottery business as the transformation of the gambling industry, which commenced in 2017, has started yielding positive results since he assumed office.

Gbajabiamila, who spoke to media in his Jabi, Abuja office, said the boom would lead to a significant rise in internally generated revenue and enhanced gains for the stakeholders in the industry and its value chains. The DG said the Commission had been executing resourceful policies, measures, and programs in the last four years, improving the industry business with emphasis on workers’ welfare, betterment of the stakeholders, and higher revenue. Already, the DG hinted that the policies and measures were being nurtured to fruition, following which the nation would experience growth in the industry. Gbajabiamila, on the assumption of duties, commenced a process that led to the restructuring of the Commission from three directorates to five and five statutory units to create opportunities for career growth and progression for staff members.

Similarly recognizing the value of the welfare of workers, Gbajabiamila said he introduced new measures that ensured that staff was better-taken care of and provided with necessary facilities and equipment for ease of performing their functions. Not only that, Gbajabiamila disclosed that for greater motivation and enhanced performance, workers are now being promoted as at when due against the experience of irregular and delay in promotion which has the practice before he assumed office. Adding in correcting some other administrative errors within the Commission, we brought experts and core professionals to head some critical sections in the Commission, such as the Procurement Unit and the Legal Service Department. For Instance, the NLRC boss explained that the vast litigation bills of the Commission have since been reduced drastically, unlike what was obtained previously, where the department appeared to be a cash cow for some external solicitors.

“Without sounding immodest, it is on record that no previous administration in the Commission had done better on matters of staff welfare than my regime. It is also on record that no previous administration had performed better than my administration on revenue generation for the Federal Government of Nigeria. Our revenue profile has been on a steady increase, regardless of the challenges faced by the Commission while trying to perform our regulatory functions.”

Mr Gbajabiamila stated that it was all the transformational measures that he introduced on the assumption of office that led to the steady rise of the internally generated revenue of the Commission. We met at less than 400m to over a billion Naira in less than three months of his leadership in the Commission. He also pointed out that the historic maiden National Gaming Conference organized by the Commission last July was another courageous step that had already been lauded by the stakeholders and the media, taken by the Commission to move the industry forward.

With the recommendations of the conference being carefully implemented by the Commission, he said that Nigeria is well assured of a better, significant, and more rewarding lottery business in all ramifications.

“I am glad that the process for the acquisition of the much needed Central Monitoring System for our operations is on course and the fact that the amendment of the National Lottery Act is in progress at the National Assembly. Where the proposal has scaled first reading at the upper and lower chambers makes me enthusiastic that the industry’s transformation would be complete in a short while, and Nigeria would experience a boom in the lottery industry. ” – Gbajabiamila assured Nigerians.

Adeleye Awakan

Author E-play Africa, sports betting reviews, thoughtful leardership articles in Africa gambling industry, marketing gaming platforms in Africa with strong networking relationship with gaming operators in Africa, Expertise in PR, marketing communication, and consultant on gaming in Africa.