Choicenewsonline Your Choice Is Here
The Ghana Lotto Operators Association (GLOA) has viewed with concern, the clandestine
attempt by the Acting Director General of NLA Mr. Ernest Mote and the Public relation
officer Razak Kojo Opoku, acting in concert with some officials at the presidency to scuttle
the “resolution of the 30-year old impasse between the Private Lotto Operators and
National Lottery Authority to enable a company known and described as KGL Technology
Itd to take over the operations of NLA and run same as a monopoly
KGL Taking-over of NLA
This unholy scheme uncovered by GLOA is supported by the evidence of a deliberate media attack, misinformation and crude regulatory conduct by the Acting Director General of NLA,
Ernest Mote, who is shamelessly being used by appointees at the Presidency to collapse the business of some Private Lotto Operators including Alpha Lotto Limited. In the last four (4)
weeks.
Ernest Mote, the Acting Director General without any board mandate is
orchestrating the collapse of all NLA-licensed lotto operators, to create a new monopoly for KGL, he has caused a number of media publications that lack credibility, to be issued from its Public Relations Unit.
Sometime in February, 2019, a company known and described as KEED was licensed to
operate “Lucky 3” online games and was issued with short code*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 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 short code
*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 adviced 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 GHC10 Million against.
KGL the new company who had hitherto had no dealings with NLA for illegally operating
NLA 5/90 online.
Question, what was the penalty against a company who 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 short code *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.
KGL Illegalities misinformation.
It must be noted, that KGL has no track-record of running any lottery operations anywhere
in the world, but through greed, blackmail and chicanery by appointees at the Presidency,
KGL has a license to operate online lotto on behalf of NLA, and touted as a partner to
restructure the operations of NLA, when KGL is indeed indebted to NLA This transition from
a licensed operator to a strategic partner reveals one the biggest conflict of interest cases in
recent times. How can a licensed, but indebted operator of NLA, become a financier to bail-
out NLA? The real truth about this farce is that, KGL still indebted to NLA in excess of GHC20
Million Cedis for year 2020.
How can a debtor-licensee owing a State Authority such as NLA, neglect its debt and be
pretending to be bailing-out NLA? This is a fluke orchestrated to fool Ghanaians and create
the excuse to hand-over NLA to KGL.
NLA’s financial challenges are a direct result of KGL using its online platform to sell NLA 5/90 numbers, to deny the NLA lotto marketing
companies the needed revenue, which otherwise would have come from NLA kiosks manned by the Lotto Marketing Companics (LMCs).
If KGL had paid its 2020 debt of GHC20
Million Cedis to NLA, that would have helped NLA to pay outstanding winnings, and its
numerous indebtedness to media companies in Ghana.
GLOA has uncovered the big public deception of using a appointees of the President as a
cover, and in the name of restructuring, to create a monopoly over online lotto for KGL, to
the disadvantage of the state and other lotto operators.
This is why these known
Government appointees are hell-bent on preventing other licensed NLA lotto operators
from operating online lottery, contrary to licenses issued to them. The seven (7) private
sector operators are licensed to operate VAG 5/90 games, so why is KGL worried operating
its licensed NLA 5/90 games? We cannot accept our licenses being withdrawn just because
KGL will have competition from other lotto operators! KGL must be ready to operate in a free market economy, not in a new monopoly.
What the public doesn’t know is that KGL’s operations are intended to benefit a few
appointees, but does not support any meaningful employment generation. It rather defeats
the NPP Government’s agenda to create jobs for NPP grassroots members who still remain unemployed across all the cities and districts of Ghana.
The desire for money by greedy Government appointees, is teaching many voters a lesson to change their preferences at the next election, to stop the “monkey dey work baboon dey chop” syndrome.
The mention of restructuring of NLA in the 2021 budget, and through uninformed schemes by the Acting Director General of NLA Ernest Mote, are all fake attempts 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.
This deceptive scheme is part of a grand state capture agenda by some appointees, intended to control the nation’s wealth, by capturing all sectors of our economy including mining, oil and gas, insurance, banking, telecoms and now lottery, through very cunning
mcans to render the state vulnerable to the whims and caprices of those appointees.
This play must be condemned by all well-meaning Ghanaians as it reveals the hidden intentions
of appointees using “government power” to profit where they have not sown.
These “take-over” schemes are being executed through public institutions with companies like KGL
supported by appointees.
The illegal NLA attacks on Alpha Lotto (our member) for instance is an 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.
The appointees at the Presidency are carrying out this atrocious scheme through NLA
Public Relations Unit under Razak Kojo Opoku, a surrogate of KGL, being used to blackmail
licensed operators, by issuing false statements in the media to back KGL’s usurpation of
NLA operations, and to destabilize private sector operators’ businesses.
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 with GHC 2,300.00, and the second has a salary of GHC7,000.00 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 the NLA, but doing the bidding of KGL supported by appointees at the Presidency.
Razak Kojo Opoku remains an illegal employee of NLA who must be made to refund all salaries drawn against NLA, since the expiration of his contract of employment.
He is a male planted by some presidency appointees to ensure that Kot’s take over becomes a reality hence his uncontrolled, uneducated publications in media to run down, and demonise private sector lotto operators, by touting kol as the saviour of NLA, when KG is actually
indebted to NLA in excess of GHC20Million Cedis.
What a farcel 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.
He does not share in the Presidents vision of private sector growth.
This 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 to 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 privateoperators.
The ignorance with which NLA is issuing statements in the
media, is very much unlike a regulator worthy of its name! From not having documents, to
not knowing what happened, the new Acting Director General has demonstrated enough
ignorance to be removed to save the institution from total collapse, as these multitude of
illegalities will bleed NLA to death in any court litigation.
Ernest Mote is compromised to KGL, and deserves no mercy, as his actions are actuated by
malice and clearly intended to collapse private sector lotto businesses.
This daylight robbery of taking huge licensing fees supported by GHC5 Million Cedis Bank Guarantees by
NLA, and the intended capricious cancellation of licenses in the name of regulation, will not
be allowed to stand.
The granting of private sector lotto licenses was duly approved by the Board of NLA.
The Board caused the newspaper advert to be made in 2018 inviting private operators, and the
General public to aware of their operations as a legal.
By: Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina
