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A Pro-New Patriotic Party vigilante group, Concerned Voters Movement (CVM), has given the National Lottery Authority (NLA) up to December to sack all members of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) at the Authority who do not share in the vision of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

According to the group, “the NDC mafia at the NLA will undermine the progress of the Authority and the government, if not sacked”.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Razak Kojo Poku, President and Founder, CVM, mentioned that his outfit would continue to mount pressure on the NLA until all members of the opposition party are sacked from the Authority.

“CVM will continue to monitor, evaluate and criticise the performance of Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, the Board and Management of the NLA in order for them to work strictly in accordance with the vision of President Akufo-Addo.

“Their [NDC members’] continued stay at the NLA is a detriment to the progress and development of the nation,” he said.

The group further indicated that they had withdrawn their petition against the NLA and commended the NLA for accepting to legalise and regulate the operations of banker-to-banker lottery in the country.

Mr Poku explained that the NLA had agreed with CVM to legalise and regulate the operations of banker-to-banker lottery through registration and granting of licences to the operators, agents and writers of banker-to-banker lotto.

“The NLA, together with other stakeholders, will come up with the full modalities and implementation plan towards the registration and licensing of banker-to-banker lotto operators, agents and writers.

“The Ministry of Finance and Board of NLA, through stakeholder consultation, will come up with the necessary framework for the collection of taxes, licence fees and other fees from the banker-to-banker lotto operators, agents and writers under the Public-Private Partnership arrangement,” he told the press.

Explaining why they had withdrawn their petition, Mr Poku indicated that the NLA had come into agreement with them to solve some concerns they raised earlier.

“We have withdrawn the petition because of the NLA’s resolution to suspend the implementation of the lotto courts which were established by former President John Mahama in 2013/2014.

“The NLA has also agreed to re-introduce the 25% commission in November 2017, as well as to pay money into the Consolidated Fund on monthly basis and also refrain from taking monies from the Consolidated Fund to pay the deficit in the lotto account,” he explained.

Background

The group, last month, appealed to President Akufo-Addo to investigate the actions of the Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), Mr Osei-Ameyaw.

According to them, the NLA boss “is not trustworthy and he lacks the spirit of consistency.”