TheCable

The National Lottery Regulatory Commission says it will soon introduce a central monitoring system that will make it become a major contributor to government’s revenue.

The need for additional income in the face of the recent economic recession which has left a number of youths unemployed and underemployed has provided a boost for lottery business in Nigeria.

The rise in lottery is further buoyed by broadening of the customer base to include the young middle-class Nigerians and lower income earners.

Lanre Gbajabiamila, director-general of the commission, said the new system will ensure that all earnings due to government on lottery are collected.

Gbajabiamila, who disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, added that the initiative will block all the loopholes and drains in the lottery business “so that the entire taxes and revenues payable to government are fully collected and remitted to government coffers.”

He said: “It is a thing of joy for me that the lottery industry that was more of a farce in Nigeria before I formally assumed office in 2017 is now better organized and thriving.

“In less than one year after I became the Chief Executive here, we started raking in billions of Naira for the government and it has continued to grow steadily since then. I am upbeat that in a matter of some few years, lottery shall become a major source of revenue for Nigeria.”

Gbajabiamila added that his leadership remains committed to improving the welfare of staff of the commission, both with regards to their remuneration and conditions of service.

“We are always most concerned on improving the capacity and welfare of our staff in all our considerations and projections. We put the issues of welfare and capacity of welfare first. We are totally committed to implementing a more robust welfare scheme for them.

“Training and further training of staff are also sacrosanct. For the agency to grow and meet the world standards, which is our ultimate target, our workers must grow simultaneously.”