Nigeria is easily by way of size, resources, population and potential the largest of the African nations. That is an undeniable and undisputed fact and, yet, we lag behind some of our neighbours, in terms of development and attitude, especially in life-changing facilities in rural and sub-urban areas. The National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) is changing this narrative under the watch of Dr Bello Maigari, its Executive secretary/CEO.
Of course, one cannot argue that despite having huge resources, a lot of people outside the country, especially foreign interests, have the perception that we are worse off in many regards to a country such as Ghana. The difference here is our attitude and perception of corruption and corrupt behaviour. To these outsiders, corruption in all its forms has single-handedly held back Nigeria from reaching its full potential as a nation. Sadly, they perceive everyone from the tea boy up to the members of parliament in the national Assembly is guilty of corruption in one form or another. We cannot continuously accept this kind of image and blame by foreign business and political interests as being the reality of our current state, especially since the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.
The National Lottery Trust Fund ( NLTF) is one of the agencies of government that faithfully pursues the vision of President Buhari. As Maigari leads the NLTF to deliver trusted practical solutions that enable impactful government actions and transformation across Nigeria, despite many challenges, he is showing that it is possible for a public servant to make government agency and institution work efficiently. He showcases excellence in practices that top government officials and managers of government business must emulate in order to build people’s trust in government programmes and help improve the way services are delivered to target beneficiaries without much problems. It will also help the way business is carried out in Nigeria.
The NLTF was established under Section 35 of the National Lottery Act 2005 to take custody of a certain percentage of all national lottery operations in the country for investments to promote the well-being of the nation.
“Promotion of good causes is a social service to the nation which can cater for the sick and the unemployed and uneducated, the talented but undiscovered young sportsmen, the victims of natural and ecological disasters, the refugees and homeless. It is, therefore, an agency that can assist the government to promote social stability, poverty eradication, social cohesion and economic welfare,” says Maigari.
Indeed, the National Lottery Trust Fund highly values health, education, sports and well-being of the people, making regular interventions in these areas. And that bodes well as the country seeks to diversify away from its oil and gas largesse and capitalize on its agricultural potentials ,manufacturing and information technology to finally build the nation that all Nigerians have hoped for since independence in 1960. An encouraging development along these lines is the recent donations of medical equipment to primary healthcare centres across Nigeria.
One of these took place on 22 April 2021, when the NLTF presented vital medical equipment worth millions of naira to Karu Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Nasarawa State. During that presentation the NLTF urged Nigerians to invest and engage in regulated lottery schemes to attract overall development in the country.
Its Executive Secretary, Dr Maigari, gave the admonition in Abuja, at the official handover of vital medical equipment to New-Karu Primary Health Care Clinic, Nasarawa state. He noted that investment in regulated lottery schemes affords individuals the opportunity to contribute to national development, adding that the provision of medical equipment to under-resourced communities across the country by NLTF is part of its corporate social responsibility.
“As we speak, the lottery industry is worth over two trillion Naira. We have Co-lottery operators, sports gaming, mobile lottery operations, and even promotional lottery undertaken by multinationals such as Dangote, PZ, Nestle, and so on. The telecom sector carry out mobile lottery and that also is a huge segment of the market”.
The items donated to the New-Karu Primary Health Care Clinic were 34 in number. According to Dr Maigari, “items donated include, digital X-ray machine, colored ultrasound machine, kidney disc, HIV kits, delivery kits, genotype machine, wheelchair, suction machine, , bed and mattresses, among several other items that would, expectedly, herald improve basic medical services to the rural communities.
“The items donated are of intense value and are part of the strategy set up the NLTF board to ensure that every Nigeria receives the best healthcare. It is evident we are facing an enormous health crisis in recent history, not only one occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic which had escalated demand for healthcare services globally, travels to other jurisdictions for medication is also increasingly becoming difficult due to restrictions and tighter traveling protocols.
“This type of intervention, which would go round the country is one step taken by the board to ensure that we are prepared for this pandemic and also any other health challenge that might arise in future.”
Maigari, while noting that there was no better time to improve the nation’s healthcare system, said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari recognizes the importance of the lottery as a vehicle in enhancing the social well-being of its citizenry.
He challenged the communities to take ownership of the equipment and ensure that people it was meant for benefit from it. Nasarawa State Commissioner for Works Philip Dada, who represented Governor Sule at the event, commended NLTF for the kind intervention, describing it as a major boost to the effort of the state government to improve health care delivery system particularly at the rural communities.
The Etsu Karu, and Dr. Luka Baba, who spoke on behalf of the community, applauded the NLTF for the kind gesture. They noted that the medical items would alleviate the problem of residents of Karu and surrounding communities, who they say travel far distances to access quality health care services.
Not far from that time, the National Lottery Trust Fund also donated vital medical equipment to 12 primary healthcare centres selected from six geopolitical zones. The donated items included digital X-ray machines, colour ultrasound machines, suction machines, kidney discs, hydraulic beds, wheelchairs, blood banks etc.
Presenting the equipment to the beneficiaries Dr Maigari asserted that the items would increase access to quality healthcare services across the country. He expressed hope to that the NLTF wish to see projects of such nature in every constituency in the country seeking to save and change lives for the good of all Nigerians. He added that the goal was to ensure everyday Nigerians living in rural communities have access to modern laboratory and radiology services as a critical first step in receiving decent and quality healthcare, without the need to travel long distances from remote communities to urban areas just to obtain basic laboratory services such as x-rays, blood tests, etc. which often result in patients dying even before receiving proper medical attention.
“For us in the trust fund this is a major concern which needs to be addressed urgently, more so if we are to change the current narrative that our hospitals are not just mere consulting clinics. Hence this vital and constructive effort by the agency to equip healthcare institutions with basic radiology facilities across the nation.” He said.
Last year as Nigeria struggle with the Coronavirus pandemic, the National Lottery Trust Fund built and handed over a fully-equipped Isolation Centre to the Katsina State Government.
At that time, Dr Maigari thanked the Katsina State government for the support that ensured the success of the project. He expressed optimism that the facility would be useful in the fight against the disease and improve health care standard in Daura community and Katsina State.He assured Governor Aminu Masari that the people of Daura would continue to receive good health care services from the hospital with efforts intensified to make it a model.
In a similar move in 2020, the National Lottery Trust Fund empowered some women in Nguru community. About 40 women in Nguru received 30.000 cash each from Lottery Trust Fund under its support for women empowerment project. The programme was also part of constituency projects by Tijjani Zanna Zakariya, a member representing Machina, Karsuwa,Yusufari and Nguru Federal Constituency.
Ten women were selected from each local government and given N30,000 to purchase goats, sheep and chicken in order to be self-reliant. Some of the beneficiaries interviewed are of the belief that the NLTF is doing great things to help people at the grassrrots. Yani Baba said she would buy goats with the money as she has been longing to go into the business. Another beneficiary, Hamandi said women were good managers of business and had no doubt about the success of the programme.
“This N30,000 if God blesses we with the little chickens we will buy, we will one day buy cows.” Alhaji Abba Umar, one of the facilitators, said the women were given cash to enable them decide which business they would go into.
In August last year, the National Lottery Trust Fund also donated medical equipment to the Onikan Health Centre as part of its support to the quest for proper health services to athletes and other members of the society suffering from various ailments.
The National Lottery trust fund, which, over the years, has sponsored Nigeria’s sports stars and donated facilities to various organisations, said it provided the medical support to ensure that Nigerians from all strata of the society get quality health care without travelling out of the country. The Fund sponsored rising star athlete, Rosemary Chukwuma to the 2018 World Youth Olympics, where she won medals for the country in the 100 meters event. .
In the year 2020, the fund also donated customised equipment in nine sports to over 2000 public primary schools in the 36 states and FCT. Speaking at the event, Executive Secretary/CEO, National Lottery Trust Fund, Dr. Bello Maigari, said the organisation’s intervention was to deliver world-class vital medical facilities that is urgently required in the country.
“The Lottery Trust Fund saving provides high standard care not only to vulnerable pregnant women and children, but also to athletes and other patients seeking urgent medical interventions in Lagos State and its environs.
With all these activities, Dr Maigari has built confidence in the National Lottery Trust Fund and brought a difference into government service delivery in Nigeria. The mix of administrative and operational actions on all fronts have rendered many favorable results.
The Executive secretary and his team are very much creating good times for people, mostly in the country side. Longer term, their visibility remains high with a sustained momentum for rural Nigerians gaining confidence in the government rural health facilities, to guarantee good health of the masses, progressively lifting people trust in government. With the provision of widespread availability of medical facilities for people in rural areas, with drugs spread in these countrywide, for their well-being and overall improved economic conditions, NLTF has lived up to its mandate, as “an agency that helps government promote social stability, poverty eradication, social cohesion and economic welfare.”
For the time being, seat belts fastened and doing the right things seem to be the formula for success, fully deployed by Dr Bello Maigari at the National Lottery Trust Fund.