Ghana Private Lotto Operators Cry Over Government’s Suffocating Policies

Ghana  private Lotto operators laments
OpenLife Nigeria reports that political black sheep ‘Razak Kojo Poku’ is stabbing President Akufo-Addo’s support to indigenous companies.
This is coming into the fore as the Ghana Private Lotto Operators Association(GLOA) appeals to the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led government to call the acting Director-General of the National Lottery Authority to order on his plot to collapse the indigenous private licensed companies.

Dr Ato Conduah Esq. addressing the media at a press conference held on the 6th April 2021 at Alisa hotel called on President Akufo-Addo to investigate KGL’s Lotto activities and vile attempt orchestrated to collapse National Lottery Authority (NLA) to allow KGL to takeover lottery for its selfish interests and create a new monopoly over online lottery in Ghana.

“The actions by the acting Director-General of the National Lottery Authority Ernest Mote together with the self-acclaimed public relations officer Razak Kojo Opoku without any board mandate clearly shows their plot to collapse all the NLA- licensed lotto operators to pave way for KGL”.

According to Dr Conquah Esq. the association’s press conference is supported by evidence of a deliberate media attack, misinformation and crude regulatory conduct by the acting Director-General of NLA, Ernest Mote, who is shamefully being used by appointees at the Presidency to collapse the business of some private lotto operators including Alpha Lotto Limited, an indigenous Lotto operating firm.

” I will therefore on behalf of the association appeal to His Excellency Nana Addo to call the bluff of Razak Kojo Opoku the political black sheep who has been granting interviews to collapse the business which has employed over two million Ghanaians as part reducing the unemployment ratio in the country to ease the burden of the President; Dr Conduah added.

Background

Somewhere in February 2019, a company known and described as KEED was licensed to operate “Lucky 3” online games and was issued with shortcode*959#. The company illegally started operating NLA 5/90 online without any authorization from NLA. The then Director-General Hon. Osei Ameyaw wrote of NCA to pull down *959# for the illegal sale of NLA 5/90 online. There was also a lot of media publication emanating from the Public Relations Department of NLA signed by Razak Kojo Opoku on the illegality of the use of shortcode *959# by KEED to operate NLA 5/90 online. Soon thereafter a company known and described as KGL was surreptitiously introduced to NLA by Alex Dadey with the backing of Government appointees in the Presidency to the then Director-General of NLA, Osei Ameyaw as a company to operate NLA 5/90 online.

The then Director-General Hon. Osei Ameyaw resisted and even wrote to the Minister of Finance on the illegality of the transaction and advised against it. The Presidency brought pressure to bear on the former Director-General of NLA who was nearing the end of his contract. He succumbed to the pressure leading to a penalty fine of GH¢10 Million against KGL the new company who had hitherto had no dealings with NLA for illegally operating NLA 5/90 online.

The question, what was the penalty against a company that had no dealings with NLA for?

This was a ruse to make KGL seem as though it was the same company known as KEED where in fact and indeed they were two separate juristic companies. This new company KGL Technologies then continued to use the shortcode *959#.

The use of the same short code *959# by two different companies KEED company Ltd and KGL Technology Ltd raised series of questions that ought to be answered by the Director-General of NCA as well as the director-General of NLA.

This inherent inconsistency is a clear manifestation of “righting the wrong”. But discerning Ghanaians shall see through this.

Dr Ato Conduah further stated that the restructuring of NLA in the 2021 budget and through uniformed schemes by the Acting Director-General of NLA, Ernest Mote are all fake attempt to surrender NLA to KGL, by using information already in the public domain, to psychologically manipulate Ghanaians to buy into the deception to hive off NLA to KGL without the public noticing.

Speaking on the illegal NLA attacks on Alpha Lotto, he said is a clear attempt to prevent competition, and create a monopoly for KGL, the special purpose vehicle (SPV) to capture the lottery sector.

“From the initial lies peddled against Alpha Lotto of not having a license to not licensed to operate online lotto to not permitted to operate its own lotto, to not authorized to use USSD Short Code, and finally suspension of license and applications for review of existing licenses, are all subtle schemes to create an exclusive online lotto for KGL”.

“Razak Kojo Opoku is a discredited “black sheep” of the political opposition, who has become a “dove” in NPP, was used to blackmail the former Director-General – Osei Ameyaw to gain employment at NLA. He is to date, the only employee with two simultaneous contracts of employment, the first has a salary of GH¢ 2,300.00, and the second has a salary of GH¢7,000.00 Cedis. Though his contract of employment has expired, he continues to draw salaries from NLA, reflecting the decadence in the administration at NLA superintended over by an acting Director General-Ernest Mote, who hasn’t yet figured out how to bring the needed changes to the NLA, but doing the bidding of KGL supported by appointees at the Presidency”, he said.

Revocation of License

Sound bites of Razak Kojo Opoku currently trending on online media platforms reveal the diabolic intentions of NLA and KGL, designed to collapse private lotto operators.

He has been heard to state that under his watch, all private lotto operators business’s shall be collapsed and their licences would not be renewed after its expiration. He further stated that he wants the private lotto operators out of business in the shortest possible time so that KGL who he perceives have heavier financial might, shall be the only operator on the field.

This demonic and diabolic intent of Razak Kojo Opoku should be condemned by the Presidency and he should be removed immediately from the public sector.

Additionally, he does not share in the Presidents vision of private sector growth.

These sound bites of Razak Kojo Opoku feeds into the broader narrative of calculated acts by the acting Director-General, Ernest Mote, himself and KGL to extinguish the private lotto operators, bring NLA to its knees and create a conducive environment for an eventual take over by KGL.

The revealed contrived media statements from the Public Relations Unit of NLA, purporting to revoke the licenses of private operators is unconscionable, illegal, and will be resisted fiercely by private operators.

In conclusion, Dr Ato Conduah said, Ernest Mote, is compromised to KGL, and deserves no mercy, as his actions are actuated by malice and intended to collapse private sector lotto businesses. This daylight robbery of taking huge licensing fees supported by GH¢5Million Cedis Bank Guarantees by NLA, and the intended capricious cancellation of licenses in the name of regulation, will not be allowed to stand.

Source: Dickson Boadi