Nearly two years after the Supreme Court nullified the National Lottery Act, about 1,500 National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) workers are awaiting redeployment by the Federal Government, with the commission remaining largely inactive.
A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) investigation found that management and staff of the commission are no longer reporting for duty, while the affected workers continue to receive salaries without being informed where they will be redeployed. The situation affects workers at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja and about 15 zonal offices nationwide.
During a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, a NAN correspondent found the premises deserted, with no visible official activities or significant presence of workers.
A staff member of the commission, who spoke anonymously on behalf of the affected workers, told NAN on Thursday in Abuja that the employees had remained largely inactive since the Supreme Court judgment.
The worker said a verification exercise was conducted in June, raising hopes that the government would begin the redeployment process, but no concrete information had followed.
“Since the judgment, the staff have essentially been in limbo.
“At some point, the authorities conducted a verification exercise, and we were hoping that would lead to redeployment.
“Since then, nothing has happened. Some colleagues have gone to make enquiries, but they are repeatedly told, ‘Next month, next month.’ We are now in October,” the worker said.
The staff member said the workers were still receiving their salaries but had not been informed where they would be redeployed.
“We need to know our fate and where we are going. People want to work. They want to contribute and feel useful,” the worker said.
According to the staff member, about 1,500 employees are affected, including federal workers in the commission’s zonal offices who are awaiting the government’s decision.
The worker said the situation had created uncertainty among staff across the headquarters in Abuja and the zonal offices.
The staff member also described the experience of staying at home as emotionally difficult despite continuing to receive salaries.
“It has not been easy. For someone who is used to being busy and going to work every day, suddenly having nothing to do is very difficult.
“There is a feeling of hopelessness and uncertainty. You feel almost worthless because there is nothing meaningful to do,” the staff member said.
The Supreme Court, in its Nov. 22, 2024 judgment in Suit No. SC/1/2008, declared the National Lottery Act 2005 unconstitutional and nullified the law establishing the NLRC.
The seven-member panel held that lottery and games of chance were not within the National Assembly’s legislative competence, leaving regulation principally to state Houses of Assembly, except in the FCT.
The judgment followed a suit instituted by Lagos State and other states challenging the Federal Government’s authority to regulate lottery nationwide.
The worker said the judgment had implications beyond the commission’s staff, including the National Lottery Trust Fund, which channels lottery proceeds towards public projects and other good causes.
“The effect goes beyond the Commission’s staffers.
“It affects the regulatory structure and has implications for the Trust Fund as well,” the worker said.
The staff member also urged the FCT authorities to pursue legislation establishing their own lottery regulatory framework, saying some of the affected federal workers could potentially find opportunities there.
“Our appeal is very simple: redeploy us and let us know our fate.
“The redeployment process has taken far too long,” the worker said.
Reacting, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Dr Onwusoro Maduka, told NAN in Abuja that a committee had been constituted by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to address the matter.
Maduka, who is co-chairman of the committee, said the affected workers had been verified and cleared, assuring them that redeployment would follow after the committee concluded its assignment.
“They are still receiving salary because they are still staff of the Federal Government and they equally have bills to pay.
“The good thing is that they have been verified and the committee is working on the issue. They should be patient; as soon as the committee is through, they will be redeployed,” Maduka said.
NAN reports that the empty and deserted commission headquarters underscored the prolonged uncertainty surrounding the affected workers and the institution.
