It has come to the notice of Coalition of Small Business Owners(CSBO) that the National Lottery Authority(NLA) is illegally putting undue pressure on the Private Lotto Operators and Agents to cough a whopping Three Hundred Million Ghana Cedis(GHS 300, 000, 000.00) to the Authority. The Management of National Lottery Authority informed the Private Lotto Operators during a meeting they had with them on 10th October 2023.
According to the National Lottery Authority, the Chief Justice, Ghana Revenue Authority(GRA) and the Ministry of Finance have authorized NLA through an official letter to collect such amount of money from the Private Lotto Operators because Akufo-Addo’s Government seriously needs funds.
However, during the meetings held on the 10th October 2023 and 18th October 2023 between the Private Lotto Operators and the National Lottery Authority, the Leadership of Ghana Lotto Operators Association(GLOA) demanded that particular official letter purportedly coming from the Chief Justice, GRA and Ministry of Finance which is authorizing the Management of National Lottery Authority to collect such an amount of money from the Private Lotto Operators but the Management of NLA shamefully failed to produce such a letter.
The CSBO is just serving this strong notice to the Management of National Lottery Authority that, the Private Lotto Operators shall not pay any illegal Three Hundred Million Ghana Cedis to the National Lottery Authority. If Management of NLA continue to intimidate the Private Lotto Operators then we will have no option than to use the Court System and Demonstrations to stop such irresponsible and illegal actions of the National Lottery Authority.
The lottery business has already collapsed coupled with unpaid wins under this current Management of the National Lottery Authority. The NLA itself is not able to pay their wins as well as indebted to Lots Service Ghana Limited and Simnet Ghana Limited.
The CSBO want to draw the attention of the GRA that, each Private Lotto Operator has been paying One Million Five Hundred Thousands Ghana Cedis as license fees to the National Lottery Authority every year since 2021. We want GRA to chase such monies at the National Lottery Authority. According to the sources at the National Lottery Authority, all the license fees paid by the Private Lotto Operators and Agents have not credited the account of the Consolidated Fund, a requirement under the National Lotto Act. The Management of National Lottery Authority has wasted all the license fees paid by the Private Lotto Operators and Agents on NLA Good Causes Foundation, a Foundation set up by NLA yet without Board of Trustees.
The CSBO have had enough from the National Lottery Authority and it is about time to let the Management of the Authority to understand that they cannot illegally use the National Lotto Act and its Regulations to bully and intimidate the Private Lotto Operators across the Country.
There shall be series of Court Actions and Demonstrations against the National Lottery Authority if they fail to behave reasonably and act uncooperatively.
Lastly, we want to warn the Management of National Lottery Authority to stop the illegal sales of the 54 Acres of Lands and the over 150 Flats at Adenta to NPP cronies and businessmen. That 54 Acres of Lands and the over 150 Flats at Adenta rightly belong to the National Lottery Authority and Government of Ghana.
…signed…
Mr. Justice Ayeh Donkor
Convener of CSBO
