By Adelowo Adebumiti Agency Seeks Better Working Relationshipwith Ghanaian Counterpart

THE Director General, National Lottery Regulatory Commission ( NLRC), Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila, is optimistic that the visit of Director General, National Lottery Authority of Ghana, Mr. Samuel Awuku, to NLRC would mark the beginning of better working relationship between Nigeria and Ghana.

Gbajabiamila said this when Awuku paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

He briefed his Ghanaian counterpart about NLRC National game coming up before the end of the year, imploring Awuku to mobilise Ghanaians to participate in the game, as it would shore up revenue for both countries.

He, however, dissociated the Federal Government from an earlier visit of the Nigeria

Lottery Operators Forum to the National Lottery Authority of Ghana, adding that the commission was unaware of the visit.

He advised that going forward, it was important for the Ghana’s agency to deal directly with the NLRC, as the only Federal Government regulator of lotteries and gaming in Nigeria.

Gbajabiamila identified the need for the two countries to lead the way in building a strong regional gaming market within the West African sub- region.

He stressed that effort in this regard would focus on creating one huge market, where virtually all countries within the sub- region could key into one huge gaming market, that would be guided by an agreement, which would be binding on all participating countries, without any one feeling shortchanged.

Earlier, Awuku said his team was in the country, first to introduce the authority as a colleague of the NLRC in lottery regulations and to figure out how to develop a win- win friendship and working collaborations with Nigeria.

He said his agency, which was also on a fact- finding mission to Nigeria had already spoken to the Nigeria’s lottery operators and players on the use of the Ghana game, with a view to identifying better ways of creating benefit for both countries.