NLA decision to enforce regulation step in right direction — CVM

The Concerned Voters Movement (CVM), an advocacy and pressure group, has described the decision by the National Lotteries Authority (NLA) to regulate the operations of banker to banker lottery as a step in the right direction.

In line with this, the management and board of the NLA agreed to legalise and regulate operations of banker to banker lotto through registration and granting of licence to operators, agents and writers to prevent the police from harassing them.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Razak Kojo Opoku, President of the CVM, however, called on the NLA to come up with the full modalities and implementation plans towards the registration of banker to banker operators and agents.

Withdrawal of petition

The press conference was to announce that the movement and other stakeholders had withdrawn their petition against Mr Osei Ameyaw, the Director General of the NLA.

’’We are now at peace with the board and management of the NLA because the ultimate desire of the CVM was to see to the legalisation of banker to banker to create jobs for the teeming youth roaming the streets of Accra in search of non-existent jobs,’’ Mr Opoku declared.

Mr Opoku said the collaborative efforts would ensure more job creation and productivity  in the country to help reduce the acute unemployment situation.

 Director-General

He lauded the director-general of the NLA for his exemplary leadership and competence in dealing with issues raised by the movement.

The movement explained that the Lotto and Lotteries Authority Bill Mr Ameyaw submitted to Parliament which was just the fusion of the National Lotto Act, 2006 (ACT 722), Gaming Act, 2006 (721) and the Veterans Administration, Ghana Act, 2012 (Act 844), had been withdrawn.

The movement explained that the bill would be resubmitted after a broader consultation with stakeholders such as the banker to banker operators before deliberation and its passage into law by Parliament.

Banker to banker operators

Mr Opoku commended Mr Ameyaw for bringing the operators of banker to banker into the Lotto and Lotteries  Authority Bill. 

He said registration of their businesses and regularisation of the partnership with the NLA would help the NLA generate more revenue.

He called on President Akufo-Addo to allow the director general to stay at post.

Lotto and Lotteries Authority Bill

According to Mr Opoku, Mr Ameyaw was intellectually competent and capable of implementing the road map that would position the NLA as a major revenue generator for the state than it was presently generating, as well as passing into law the National Lotto and Lotteries Authority Bill.

The group, therefore, urged the Gaming Commission of Ghana (GCG) and the Veterans Administration to stop pressing charges against Mr Ameyaw for plagiarism, as well as his attempt to merge the NLA, GCG and the Veterans Administration, Ghana, without consulting the relevant stakeholders because he had reversed his decision.