Lagos drags national assembly to Supreme court over central gaming bill
The state contends that the proposed legislation violates the Supreme Court’s November 2024 ruling.
Nigeria.- The Lagos State government has filed a motion at the Supreme Court of Nigeria seeking permission to initiate contempt proceedings against the national assembly over its advancement of the Central GamingBbill. The state contends that the proposed legislation, which aims to bring gaming under federal control, violates the Supreme Court’s November 2024 ruling that affirmed states’ residual powers over gambling, lotteries and gaming regulation.
Lagos Attorney-General Lawal Pedro, SAN, led the motion, with Bode Olanipekun, SAN, as counsel. The state files for Form 48, a procedural notice under Order 9 Rule 13 of the Supreme Court Rules, which warns of potential imprisonment for non-compliance with the 2024 judgment.
Olanipekun emphasised that the Central Gaming Bill’s provisions “directly breach the Supreme Court’s judgement” by reproducing elements of the struck-down legislation without constitutional amendments to the Second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution. This claim is contained in the motion, which argues that the bill encroaches on state jurisdiction since no legislative list alterations have occurred since the ruling.
The current dispute seems to be following a familiar pattern, reminiscent of the case initiated by Lagos and other states against the federal government over the regulation of lottery and gambling in Nigeria that resulted in the landmark Supreme Court judgment last year. Now, the states and other concerned stakeholders, like the FSGRN, are rallying to face up to this new challenge from the Senate.
A win for Lagos would mean that states can continue with the status quo of managing and regulating their own gaming activities without federal interference. However, if the Central Gaming Bill is upheld, states would be required to align their regulations with federal laws. A large portion of gaming tax revenue would also flow directly to the federal coffers.
