14 Oct NATIONAL LOTTERY REGULATORY COMMISSION DIRECTOR – GENERAL HAILS BOARD APPOINTMENT, CALLS FOR SUPPORT

Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), Mr. Adolphus Ekpe has commended members of the board of the Commission, describing their appointment as well-deserved.

The DG’s commendation was contained in his address during the inaugural board meeting held at the Commission’s headquarters on Friday, August 16, 2013. 

At the meeting, which had the Commission’s Director’s of Administration & Finance, Enforcement & Compliance as well as Regulation & Monitoring in attendance, DG advised the Board Members to use their wealth of experience for the growth of the Commission. “We look forward to leveraging on the valuable social capital which should be made available to the Commission. Indeed, we are looking forward to the growth and development of the industry relying on your wealth of experience and support,” he said. He assured the board members of the commitment of the management and staff of the Commission to work harder in order to move the industry to greater heights. Speaking further, the NLRC boss said he had begun preliminary assessment of the Commission since he assumed office on August 1, 2013 to bring him up to speed on the current mode of operation of the Commission and to identify areas for improvement. 

He said there were very obvious potentials for building a viable lottery industry in Nigeria. “It is indeed a positive and welcome idea that government has come to realize this fact and has put its full weight behind the efforts to ensure that Nigeria benefits from this industry as has been utilized by other developed nations of the world,” he stated.

In the course of the preliminary assessment of the Commission, the NLLRC boss said he had identified some reformative strategies that could propel the Commission to higher heights. According to him, “They include: 

Automation of lottery process:

The business of lottery in the developed world is technology- driven. It’s internal and external workflow, especially the regulatory and monitoring operations, need as a matter of urgency to be automated for effectiveness and efficiency. The NLRC has to take automation as a priority to boost revenue.

Growing the lottery market:

There is urgency in growing the market to a more robust size to enable Nigeria reap the full benefits of the lottery industry. There are opportunities in partnering with the various state governments on some lottery activities as against the current practice where most of the licensees currently operate from some restricted regions in the country even though they hold national licenses. There is the need to ensure that we work with various licensees to solve some of the challenges they currently face. Lottery stakeholders should collectively address issues impeding operations to boost national coverage. This would create the environment necessary for growth and development of the industry.