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The Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Lottery Trust Fund, Tosin Adeyanju, has appealed to state governments to permit lottery operations within their territories.
He made the call on Saturday during the Regional Conference on Climate Change-Induced Conflicts in Northern Nigeria, hosted by the Kaduna State Bureau of Interfaith in collaboration with the humanitarian organisation International Alert.
Adeyanju stressed that the proceeds from the lottery are used to meet the needs of Nigerians in critical areas and for humanitarian interventions.
A statement issued on Sunday by his spokesman, Arowolo Alaba, quotes Adeyanju as saying, “In Nigeria, we often lament about everything, yet we don’t do much to provide solutions.
“I am aware that there is a lot of misinformation about the lottery. What we do are GOOD CAUSES, which we support through the lottery proceeds that come to the Federal Government.
“Lottery proceeds are used to meet the needs of Nigerians in critical areas such as water interventions, the environment, education, sports, agriculture, health, and humanitarian interventions.”
Adeyanju also highlighted the role of the gaming industry in addressing climate change issues.
“Earlier, we discussed the impact of climate change due to scarce resources. The gaming industry, which contributes to the development of nations worldwide, and Nigeria is no exception, can be leveraged to help solve some of the issues surrounding the climate change-induced crisis ravaging northern Nigeria.”
The NLTF boss further noted that many communities have benefited from lottery proceeds, which have been used to address various needs.
“Many communities have written to us seeking assistance in many areas, which we have already assisted with, and we are still working towards assisting others using the proceeds from the lottery that come to the Federal Government,” he stated.
Adeyanju urged the states that have banned lottery operations to reconsider lifting the ban and cooperate with the state branches of the NLTF to ensure smooth operations.
He stressed that the purpose of the establishment of the agency by the Federal Government is to support GOOD CAUSES, which include some of the interventions required by the states to tackle climate change-related issues.
“We are urging states in Nigeria who have taken steps to stop lottery operations to please reconsider,” he appealed, adding, “By reconsidering their decisions, they will help reduce criminality among the youth. We have begun advocacy on responsible gambling and lottery through the nationwide sensitisation campaign that we started this year.”
Dignitaries at the event included the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; the Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Hadiza Sabuwa; the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar II; and the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Daniel Okoh, among others.
