Lottery Commission debunks claim of sponsoring amendment bill
NAN-H-50
Bill
By Kate Obande-Okewu
Abuja, March 8, 2017 (NAN) The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) has debunked the claim made by the National Employer Consultative Association (NECA), that the commission sponsored the National Lottery Amendment Bill.
Mr Adolphus Ekpe, Director-General, NLRC, denied the claim reported in some newspapers in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
Ekpe said that the bill was among the bills Acting President Yemi Osinbajo refused to assent to, stressing that the commission did not sponsor that bill.
He said that the proposed amendment bill for the commission was still in the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and had not yet proceeded to the National Assembly.
“ The claim is that we are the ones who sponsored the amendment bill, but the bill was a private member bill sponsored by some senators.
“The Lottery Commission, Lottery Trust Fund, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Attorney-General formed a committee on areas of interest in the proposed amendment.
“And what we have agreed is still in the office of the attorney general,’’ he said.
He explained that NECA is made up of group of multinational companies, who form an association and run promotional lotteries but had refused to be regulated by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.
He added that NECA does not want to be regulated but want Nigerians to participate in their promotional lotteries; we have gone to court because of that and won.
Ekpe explained that NECA had also appealed the case in the court, assuring that the commission would still win the appeal.
He referred to section 57 of the National Lottery Act 2005 which states that: “Lottery or lotteries includes any game, scheme, arrangement, system, plan, promotional competition or device for the distribution of prizes by lot or as a result of the exercise of skill and chance.
“Or based on the outcome or sporting events or any other games which the president may by notice in the gazette declare to be lottery and which shall be operated according to a license.’’
The director-general added that lottery is a scheme for raising funds for charity and it’s a civic duty of every Nigerian.
He commended the acting president for not assenting to the lottery bill; saying there was a pending case in the court of appeal on the subject matter.(NAN)
KTE/AK/AFA
Edited by Akin Makanjuola/Felix Ajide