By Okon Okon


The National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC) says it has launched a National Premium Identity Verification Platform (NPIVP) to provide identity of lottery operators in Nigeria’s lottery industries.


The Director General of the NLRC, Mr Lanre Gbajabiamila, made this known in a statement on Tuesday.


The decision, according to him, was taken following stakeholders’ engagement meeting on ‘Know Your Customer (KYC) and Verification Issues in Nigerian Gaming Industry’, held at the NLRC Headquarters in Abuja.


Gbajabiamila said the measure was initiated by the stakeholders in lottery sector as a move geared towards mitigating and curbing unscrupulous activities in the lottery industry in Nigeria.


“The new NPIVP will provide identification in less than 8 seconds, attach real-time human faces to players, minimize fraud, ease compliance and encourage more participation in the industry.“


The NLRC D-G, during the meeting, identified the Federal Government’s concern about prevalent complaints relating to customers’ identity and verification in the industry.


He said the initiative was in line with the commission’s mission of creating a safe and secure environment for operators and players.


“Our mission in the NLRC is to create an enabling, safe and secure environment for operators and players while ensuring the Nigerian Gaming Industry thrives.


“As we are aware, the NLRC is the apex gaming regulatory institution in Nigeria, saddled with the responsibility of regulating the operation and business of the national lottery, setting standards, guidelines and rules.


“This is to ensure transparency and integrity and also protect the interest of players, stakeholders and the public; while also carrying out periodic industry-wide assessments.


He said there were “other duties as may be directed by the President as specified by the National Lottery Act 2005 (as amended).”


Gbajabiamila also used the medium to read the riot act to operators and directed gaming operators to identify and verify the players and users of their various gaming platforms to ensure that the collected and collated personal data were secure.


“To this end, the commission has collaborated with other Federal Government agencies to promote the gaming industry and ensure a safe and secure gaming environment among others,” he said.


Contributing, Clement Omife, Deputy Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau, a representative of Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), said the agency had done a lot about KYC, especially in partnership with the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), being a critical aspect of its mandate.


“We really appreciate the NLRC for this wonderful initiative. We have been doing this KYC and I can tell you that it will help to mitigate a lot of criminality in the lottery industry.


The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Mr Babatunde Bamgboye, representative of Nigeria Data Protection Bureau (NDPB), Association of Nigerian Bookmakers (Lottery Operators), led by their Executive Secretary, Akingba Olabimpe, the CBN representative among others, were present at the meeting. (NAN)(www.nannews