Poor remittances: Senate committee meeting with lottery operators end in deadlock

The Senate investigation of poor remittances to the coffers of the Federal Government by lottery operators ended in a deadlock, on Monday.

The Committee sitting was aborted midway as a result of a shouting march between representatives of two leading lottery firms, Western Lotto and Premier Lotto.

The Committee led by Senator Obinna Ogba was mandated by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan to investigate poor remittances to the Federal Government and poor regulation by the regulatory agency, the Nigerian Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC).

It was equal tasked to unravel the terms of settlement between the NLRC and one of the lottery firms, Ghana Games in Nigeria.

The Senate resolution was sequel to a motion by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, who alleged that the country was being shortchanged of huge proceeds amounting to billions of Naira that it should generate from lottery proceeds.

The Senator representing Delta North senatorial district further submitted that statutory remittances by the lottery operators fell short of actual sales being generated daily by the operators.

The Senate investigation however ran into troubled waters as the Managing Director of Western Lotto, Mr Olumide Adedeji, told the Senate Committee that his company owned by the late Senator Buruji Kashamu was in possession of franchise documents from the Ghana Lottery Commission which vested it with the authority as its main representative in Nigeria.

He further accused the regulatory agency, the NLRC of failure to implement the terms of the agreement to set up the Ghana Games Lottery Commission in Nigeria in order to deny his firm its commission.

His claim was however countered by the Managing Director of Premier Lotto, Mr Ajibola Adebutu, who said granting such a request would undermine the statutory power of the NLRC as Western Lotto would automatically assume the status of operator and regulator.

To calm frayed nerves, the Senate Committee subsequently dissolved into a closed-door session.

Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, Senator Ogba admitted that the contentious issues could not be resolved.

He revealed that the Committee equally resolved to summon the Minister of Special Duties, Senator George Akume to offer explanations on poor remittances and why two geopolitical zones, the South-East and the South-South were stripped of representations on the board of the NLRC.

He said: “The issue was not finally resolved. Our interest is to ensure that the Federal Government generate revenue into its purse.

“All over the World, the lottery is an avenue to generate revenue. What we discovered is that the country is not getting much revenue from the lottery operators.

“However the operators are also saying that they have been paying a lot of money to the government.

“In fact one of the operators, Bet Naija claimed that he paid N18bn to the Federal Government coffers in the last three months. We want to find out where these monies have gone to. We want to find out.

“About the Ghana Games, some operators are scared that the operators should not play the role of a regulator.

“We have resolved that all monies generated should go to the Federal Government directly. It is now the Federal Government that will determine who has the franchise and pay him the percentage due to him.

“The Committee has adjourned till Monday and we have invited the board of the lottery commission. We are also inviting the Minister of Special Duties, Senator George Akume.

“We will also raise the issue of the non-representatives of the South – East and South-South on the board of the lottery agency.

“It is Mr President that constitutes the board so we will ask the Minister to communicate to the Executive that it had contravened the Act that established the commission for not including the South-East and South-South geopolitical zones on the board.”

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Poor remittances: Senate committee meeting with lottery operators end in deadlock