Supreme Court judgement leaves NLRC workers in limbo
Staff members come to work daily, only to find themselves idle.
Nigeria.- The offices of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), once bustling with activity, now stand deserted following the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment last November with workers waiting to be redeployed across other agencies.
On 22 November 2024, the Supreme Court invalidated the National Lottery Act 2005, which effectively dissolved the NLRC and stripped it of its regulatory authority over national lotteries in Nigeria.
Lagos and other states had filed a suit in 2008 questioning the National Assembly’s regulatory powers over lotteries.
In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court’s seven-member panel ruled that the National Assembly lacked legislative powers over lottery matters.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Mohammed Idris declared that the National Lottery Act 2005 is no longer enforceable in states outside the Federal Capital Territory, as the National Assembly’s legislative power only extends to the FCT.
Now, NLRC staff members are expressing frustration about showing up to work only to find themselves idle and without meaningful tasks. They were also uncertain about their future as they struggled with the reality of being unable to carry out their responsibilities following the Supreme Court’s decision.
A worker anonymously said: “The court decisions actually took us by surprise, and we quite understand that by the provisions of the constitution, the judgment of the Supreme Court is final. The situation, though, has not affected our monthly pay, but our fate remained uncertain, and it has made us to remain unproductive.”
A top management staff member revealed that the NLRC Director-General, Lanre Gbajabiamila, had sent a letter to President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities seeking help with staff redeployment to other government parastatals.
The staff said: “The erstwhile DG has written to the President and copied the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, regarding the redeployment. We are now waiting for the presidential directives.”
While the SC ruling is a blow to NLRC, it is a welcome development to state gambling regulators, who can now assert their authority over gambling and lottery operations within their respective jurisdictions.
