The
Federal Government on Wednesday said a series of strategies had already been
perfected to flush out illegal lottery operators, especially those involved in
Ponzi schemes, from the country.
The
Permanent Secretary for Special Duties in the office of the Secretary to the
Government of the Federation, Mr. Festus Dauda, gave the hint in Abuja on
Wednesday.
He
spoke with journalists after declaring open a two-day specialised training
programme organised for members of staff of the National Lottery Regulatory
Commission.
He
said many people fell victim of the Ponzi scammers because many Nigerians
regarded lottery as gambling especially in the Northern part of Nigeria.
He
said the game became popular with sports betting and promotion activities
embarked upon by manufacturers and mobile network service providers.
He
said, “The Federal Government is doing everything possible to make sure that
the illegal operators and quacks in the industry are eliminated.
“That
is why we have empowered the regulatory commission with modern technology that
would enable them to apprehend all the illegal operators and quacks with a view
to prosecuting and sending them to jail.
“Lottery
is bigger than the oil industry that the nation has in stock, a lot of wealth
that is yet to be tapped. I believe that we should focus our energy on lottery.
“I
also believe that if the entire citizenry are well aware of the activities of
lottery and the gains that are abound in it, the sky will be our starting point
and lottery will even overtake the oil industry in contributing its quota to
the treasury.
“The
Federal Government is trying its best to make sure that lottery gets its
rightful place so that we would be able to tap into the abundant resources that
are there in lottery.”
- Punch
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