The acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mohammed Abbah, has disclosed that the commission has recovered over N4.16 billion unpaid revenue from lottery companies.
He noted that the lottery firms operating in the country were not forthcoming in remitting revenues that were due to the government, hence the intervention by the EFCC.
Speaking while hosting a delegation of the Ministerial Task Force for recovery of unpaid revenues from lottery businesses, led by its chairman, Williams Alo, on Wednesday, the EFCC boss said, “We mapped out strategies which resulted in the recovery of over N4.16bn from lottery companies, operating in Abuja with over N3b from their counterparts, operating in Lagos State.”
A statement on Thursday by the EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, entitled, ‘EFCC recovers over N4.16b unpaid lottery revenue,’ noted that Abbah further assured the task force of the EFCC’s unwavering support.
“We are willing and ready to partner with you to ensure that lottery companies that have continuously shortchanged the government are made to cough out all the revenues they had deprived the government over the years,” he pledged.
Alo, who is also the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, commended the EFCC for its effort in recovering the funds.
He stated, “Let me acknowledge the efforts of this commission for the assistance it has rendered not only to the Federal Government of Nigeria but specifically to the lottery industry.
“It is in our record that the EFCC has assisted the lottery business in no small way because a lot of recoveries have been made for us by the EFCC and the money recovered has always been handed over to the lottery trust fund.”
Alo, however, solicited more support and collaboration of the commission in the fund recovery drive of the task force.
