It was heartwarming when news recently filtered in that the National Lottery Trust Fund has finalized plans to commission and launch many intervention projects executed in Benue State. The people of Benue State were indeed excited and filled with joy and praise for the timely intervention of the fund in many areas of the people’s need when finally the Minister of Federal Ministry of Special Duties and intergovernmental affairs, Hon Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo, the permanent secretary, executive secretary of the fund, staffs and top management of the agency arrived the state to launch about 16 intervention projects funded and executed by the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) in Benue State.
The projects scattered across many communities are located in the Gboko, Tarka and Wannune Local Governments areas of the state. These projects were conceptualized and foundationally laid during the early years of the present Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr. Senator George Akume, who was the immediate past-Minister of Special Duties, was deliberately executed to systematically and pragmatically change the lives of the people of the area and bring development closer to the people. Indeed, some of these projects are now proclaimed by the people of the area as governments’ deliberate efforts in bringing developments in all its ramifications to their doorsteps in the efforts to give them the democracy dividend they craved for.
The efforts of the Executive Secretary, Dr Bello Maigari and his top management staff must be commended. They have indeed done all they can to make sure that these projects are not abandoned as it was done in the past. The new changes brought about by the Bello Maigari era in the management of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) is today generally seen as gradually departing the system from the past ways of doing things which has negatively affected the perception of the people about the operations of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF).
The National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) which is an agency of government was established by the federal government of Nigeria through an act of the National Assembly to use the proceeds derived by the governments through the Lottery and gaming sectors of the national economy to intervene in the developmental needs of the citizens of the country. It is on record that since its establishment, the fund has done enough in changing the lives of the citizenry especially in many critical areas of needs such as, health, educational, culture, sports and infrastructural developments. The Bello Maigari era is indeed achieving a lot in this regard as records from the Agency has shown that it is achieving tremendously well in spreading it’s interventionist projects across the nook and crannies of the county without the meddling of politics and tribal sentiments just as its intervention in Benue State only just yesterday, the 23rd of November has shown.
The people of Gboko, Tarka and Wanuanne must now reciprocate the good gestures of the National Lottery Trust Fund in siting these developmental projects in their area by taking ownership of the delivered projects, making sure that the reasons for which these projects are delivered see the light of the day. They are therefore deliberately expected to safeguard those projects by making sure that they are not vandalized as it is the case all over the country where projects executed to change the lives of the people are vandalized at will. The NLTF is now ready more than ever before, to do more for communities that over-figure are seen as keeping to their responsibilities in this regard.
It is now crystal clear that the reports by the cynics of the Agency that it is not doing more to change the lives of Nigerians are not true. The Agency is working assiduously hard to make sure that it is seen by all Nigerians as fulfilling its mandate to the people by intervening to bring succor to all Nigerians especially during the Bello Maigari era as the Executive Secretary of the Agency.
The Minister in charge of the National Lottery Trust fund, Honourable Zephaniah Jisalo and his able Permanent Secretary and top managements staff of the Federal Ministry of Special Duties who were on hand to commission these laudable projects were very elated with the quality of works submitted by the contractor and commissioned by the minister.
In his remarks at the commissioning of these projects, the Minister said the projects commissioned by the National Lottery Trust Fund and handed over to the communities today signaled a new beginning and a new era where the interventionist agencies would be in sync with the Tinubu Administration in achieving the renewed hope agenda of his administration. He commended his predecessor in the ministry of Special Duties and now Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, for fulfilling his promises of doing more for the people of his constituency.
The Minister commended the permanent secretary of the ministry of Special Duties for his foresight and support, and expressed optimism that going forward, this synergy between them and the agencies under them would do whatever is needed for the renewed hope agenda to be fulfilled.
Musa Wada, Media aide to the Minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs
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