Lottery Good Causes
What are the good causes
WHAT THE LAW SAYS
The National Lottery Act 2005 allows the lottery business in Nigeria to be run by licensed lottery operators under the close supervision of the national lottery regulatory commission.
The National Lottery Act stipulates that 50% of all proceeds must go to players as prizes and 20% to the National Lottery Trust Fund for Good Causes. This means that 70% of the total proceeds of Lottery games actually go back to benefit the people who play the games and the entire community. Only 30% is left to the operator to cover the costs of administration and operating the lottery games.
WHAT ARE LOTTERY GOOD CAUSES
When you play any lottery games, some of the money you spend on your tickets will find its way to charities and other good causes. ‘Good Causes’ is the collective term used to refer to the social and charitable projects carried out by organizations that receive lottery funding. Most lotteries throughout the world will set aside a proportion of the money raised from the sale of lottery tickets to give to good causes, although the amounts given out and the causes supported will vary from country to country.
In Nigeria 20% from every money spent on any lottery game tickets is allocated to the National Lottery Good Causes Fund. Since the promulgation of the Nigerian Lottery Laws in 2005. Regulated Lottery activities in Nigeria started in full swing only in 2009 through the activities or the National Lottery Regulatory Commission. Though the industry had a slow takeoff, it has been able to generate approximately N3.8 Billion Naira for the NLTF to invest in Good Cause projects approved by the President Commander-in-chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The NLRC plays no role in deciding how funds raised for good causes are distributed between organisations or which charities will receive support from those organisations.
The allocation of funds to the various sectors are as follows:
- Health, Education, Environment and Charitable Causes 40%
- Sport 20%
- Art 20%
- Heritage 20%
Our organization focuses on promoting access to Lottery funding for projects that seeks to bring succour to Nigerians. The Act establishing the Trust Fund makes it a self-financing agency of government under the direct supervision of the Office of the Honourable Minister of Special Duties and intergovernmental affairs of the Federation (MSDIGA). Pursuant to Section 35 of the Act, the Trust Fund is to collect remittances directly from lottery operators and product promoters in Nigeria, and by virtue of Section 40 of the Act apply the proceeds so collected to:
- Fund lottery good cause intervention projects as approved by the President.
- Meet cost of administration of the Trust Fund.
- Pay emoluments, allowances and benefits of members of the Board of Trustees.
- Pay salaries, fees and other remuneration or allowances, pensions and other benefits of the staff and other employees of the Trust Fund.
- Provide for all or any of its functions made under the Act.
In its renewed effort to promote good causes that touch lives of ordinary Nigerians through its regional development work the Trust Fund has:
- Opened offices in all the six (6) geo-political zones of the country with Headquarters in Lagos, Enugu, Port-Harcourt, Makurdi, Kano and Bauchi. The objective of these outreach offices is to bring the Trust Fund closer to the people, supervise intervention projects, collect remittances from lottery operators and raise awareness on the activities of the Trust Fund.
- Developed an extensive ‘data bank’ of over three thousand (3,000) good causes projects in sports, education, health, and water resources following a comprehensive needs assessment exercise that took our officials on field trips across the nook and cranny of the 36 States of the Federation to collect relevant data of areas in urgent need of intervention nation-wide taking into account equity and geographical distribution.
- Made a comprehensive proposal for intervention budget for the ZOI l/ZO l 2 Intervention Programme to Mr. President for approval, designed in a way that the lottery business would enjoy some appeal and gain acceptability among the generality of Nigerians. Without a doubt, the promotion of socio-economic welfare of the people through Good Cause Projects is one key factor that can draw support for lottery in Nigeria, crossing socio-cultural and religious boundaries.
- The proposed Intervention Programme already underway has the capability to touch the lives of ordinary Nigerians in all the thirty six (36) States of the Federation including the Federal Capital through the provision of basic health-care amenities, educational facilities and infrastructure, portable water supplies, grass root sporting facilities to youths, provision of relief materials to displaced Nigerians in distress from natural disasters such as flood, etc., even on a small scale.
SPONSORING GOOD CAUSES
In Nigeria like many other countries, Such as United Kingdom, Morocco Niger Republic and other European Countries. Good Causes include investment in education, health, sports and special projects of national significance. Individuals and/or civil society organizations with projects that touch the generality of the people can also access funds or grants from the National Lottery Trust Fund by following the correct application procedures and meeting the required criteria.
The Nigerian lottery industry fully came under the watchful eyes of government in 2009 when the Lottery Regulatory Commission commenced an intense regulation of the operators of the industry. The operators then knew that it will not be business as usual for them as they were now under compulsion to obey the law through the remittance of the statutory 20% to the trust fund for good causes by lottery operators, Nigeria has raised ₦3.8 Billion for good causes!
The former President Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan is the first sitting president to give his express approval in April 2014 for the money so far collected to be used for a lottery good cause for the benefit of Nigeria. The presidential approval for NLTF to commence the 2014 lottery good cause intervention in the area of sports in selected primary schools across the country will provide an opportunity to enhance grassroots sports development and also create an avenue to build young sportsmen and women from an early stage for future participation in the Olympics. The intervention will concentrate on the following Nine sports;
- Football
- Table Tennis
- VolleyBall
- Basket Ball
- Hand Ball
- Badminton
- Taekwondo
Nigeria has started with lottery good cause intervention in sports for 2014, as the Lottery industry continues to grow in strength more Nigerians are expecting more Lottery interventions in other sectors.
POTENTIAL FOR NIGERIANS
With Lottery money we can:
- Replicate the Great Wall of China in Nigeria.
- Build the Ivy League institutions, the Harvard University, and Yale equivalents in Nigeria.
- Build hospitals and schools nationwide
- Provide low-cost housing for communities
- Develop pipe borne water schemes for communities and much more
- Host the most glamorous sporting events in Nigeria
Intervention programs
international programs
Check back with us on international programs.