By Hassan Zaggi
The Executive Secretary of the National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF), Comrade Tosin Adeyanju, has called on state governments across the country to permit lottery operations within their territories.
He made the call at the Regional Conference on Climate Change-Induced Conflicts in Northern Nigeria, hosted by the Kaduna State Bureau of Interfaith in collaboration with International Alert- a humanitarian organization.
According to Adeyanju: “In Nigeria, we often lament over everything while we don’t do much on the solution. I’m aware that there’s a lot of misinformation about lottery. What we do is GOOD CAUSES, which we do through the lottery proceeds that come to the Federal Government.”
He explained that proceeds that accrue from lottery are utilised to meet the needs of Nigerians in critical areas such as water interventions, environment, education, sport, agriculture, health, and humanitarian interventions.
While exposing the role of the gaming industry in addressing climate change issues, the Executive Secretary said that: “Earlier, we spoke on what climate change has caused due to scarce resources. The gaming industry which contributes to the development of nations worldwide, and Nigeria is not an exception, can be leveraged upon to solve some of the issues surrounding the climate change-induced crisis ravaging northern Nigeria”.
A Press Release signed by the Special Assistant to the Executive Secretary (Media & Corporate Communications), Arowolo Solomon Alaba, noted that the NLTF boss further disclosed that many communities have benefited from lottery proceeds, which have been utilised to meet various needs.
“Many communities have written to us seeking assistance in many areas, which we have already assisted and still working towards assisting others using proceeds of lottery coming to the Federal Government”, he further stressed.
Adeyanju appealed to the states that have banned lottery operations to reconsider lifting the ban and cooperate with the state-branches of the NLTF in order to ensure smooth operations, as he stressed that the purpose of the establishment of the agency by the Federal Government is for the execution of GOOD CAUSES, which entails some of the interventions required by the states in tackling climate change-related issues.
“We are urging states in Nigeria who have made efforts to stop lottery to please reconsider. By reconsidering their decisions, they will help to reduce criminality among the youth. We have begun advocacy on responsible gambling/lottery through the nationwide sensitisation that we started this year,” he appealed.
The call to action, he said, come at a critical time, as Nigeria grapples with climate change-induced conflicts and socio-economic challenges.
“By embracing lottery operations, state governments can tap into this vital source of funding, ultimately benefiting their most vulnerable citizens,” the Executive Secretary said.
Dignitaries that graced the event included the Kaduna State Governor, Sen Uba Sani; Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa; Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar II, the President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Most Reverend Dr. D.C. Okoh, and many others.
