The Nigerian delegation with Sammi Awuku
The leadership of the Nigeria Licensed Lottery Operators have paid a working visit to the Ghana National Lottery Authority (NLA) to rekindle their working relationship and build a strong bond for the benefit of both countries.
The team from Nigeria was taken through how the NLA operates its draws.
Meeting the Director General of the NLA, Sammi Awuku and some officials of the Authority, Chima Onwuka, Chairman of Nigeria Licensed Lottery Operators, said they were in Ghana to rekindle the already existing relationship between the two institutions.
“Our visit here is for us to rekindle the relationship that has existed between lotto operators in Nigeria and the NLA here in Ghana,” he said.
He also noted that the development of lottery is hinged on integrity and the commitment shown by Ghana in building lottery system is a pointer for Nigeria to also follow.
Mr. Onwuka said they want to collaborate with the NLA to fashion out ways the Nigeria Lottery Operators can pay royalties to Ghana in the use of its draw numbers, and was hopeful that their engagement with the NLA will bolster their operations back home.
Welcoming the team, NLA Director-General, Sammi Awuku, reiterated the importance of strengthening working relationship with Nigeria’s lottery sector.
According to him, that is necessary because Nigeria depends or uses Ghana’s draw numbers because of the integrity in the system.
“It is interesting to know that Nigeria uses our draw numbers. That is because of the integrity and credibility of our system. But, in as much as Nigeria is benefiting from NLA, we hope that working relationship will also yield something beneficial to us here in Ghana too,” he said.
Sammi Awuku also made references to Ivory Coast and Sierra-Leone as other countries that depend on Ghana’s draw numbers, and that Ghana is always open to fruitful collaborations.
He also dispelled the claims that spiritualists can give out lotto numbers for people to win, saying “we don’t conjure numbers, it is purely a game of chance.”