Gaming business which has been discovered as a revenue spinner for governments and has come to stay and will keep expanding
By Austin Angwe, Makurdi
Benue State Government has pledged to give the Benue State Sports Marketing and Lottery Board the necessary backing to meet up with the mandate given to it by Governor Hyacinth Alia, which is to improve the Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, profile of the state.
Making the pledge Monday during the official unveiling of the Board signage held at the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Creativity in Makurdi, the Commissioner, Terkimbi Ikyange, recalled that the Board which was established in 2017 with the passage of a law by the Benue State House of Assembly, said Government has equally acknowledged the significant contributions of the previous management but emphasized the need to strengthen the system by appointing an expert who is knowledgeable enough to help deepen activities of the Board.
Ikyange further revealed that the governor has appointed someone who is highly experienced and knowledgeable in the field to help his administration manage activities at the board, adding that the new management has decided to embark on awareness creation for Benue people to know that they have hit the ground running and are as well committed and determined to ensure that the mandate given them by the governor is accomplished.
He assured management of the Board that as a Ministry overseeing affairs of the Board, they would support the new management’s commitment to duty to ensure that activities leading to sports marketing lottery and batting as well as all other associated activities in the state are done in accordance with the laws of the state.
The Youths, Sports and Creativity Commissioner who in company of the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Philip Nongo while formerly unveiling the Boards signage at its office located beside Makurdi Local Government Secretariat, Old GRA, to mark the official commencement of work, prayed God to grant the new management of the Board guardians and direction to successfully undertake the tasks given to them by the governor.
In a remark, Executive Secretary, Benue State Sports Marketing and Lottery Board, Michael Uper, explained that the gaming business which has been discovered as a revenue spinner for governments and has come to stay and will keep expanding, expressing optimism that the Benue State Government would key into the sector to explore opportunities.
He expressed worry that on assumption of office he noted with dissatisfaction that there was nothing on ground regarding operational guidelines, stressing that with him and his team on board giving the support of the governor, they would work seriously to ensure improvement in revenue generation for the state through gaming.