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Buruji Kashamu’s Underhand Tactics Cause Chaos, Confusion In Nigeria’s Lotto Industry

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A looming war is threatening the hitherto peaceful operation of the lotto industry in Nigeria no thanks to the underhand tactics of Senator Buruji Kashamu in his desire to illegally take over the industry in the country.

At the centre of the storm is the seeming collaboration of officials of the National Lotto Regulation Commission (NLRC) with Kashamu to bastardised due process guiding the rules and regulations of the industry in Nigeria.

Members of the Lotto Operators Association of Nigeria are not ready to fold their arms hence their decision to take every legal step to stop both Senator Kashamu and his cohorts in the NLRC from perpetrating their illegalities.

The bone of contention is the ownership of the Ghana Games in Nigeria.

Ghana Games have been introduced to Nigeria by major lotto operators in Nigeria. They worked hard to popularise the games and make them the favourites of lotto players in the country.

Just as the Ghana Games began popular acceptance in Nigeria, Kashamu appeared suddenly claiming exclusive ownership of the games.

He not only claimed exclusive ownership of the games, he also aimed at collecting commission from other operators operating the Ghana games. In fact, he claimed that he is entitled to 40% from each operator operating the Ghana games.

The other operators resisted this and Kashamu went to court. The other operators also raised their legal team to counter him in court.

A total of 25 lotto operators were taken to court by Kashamu claiming exclusive ownership of the Ghana games from them while the NLRC is one of the respondents in the case. The case is ongoing in court.

But Kashamu suddenly introduced a bizarre twist to the story – he is seeking an out of court settlement with the NLRC thereby leaving the other operators in the lurch.

The question on the lops of many is why would Kashamu seek an out of court settlement in a case he is the plaintiff?

Not a few, particularly members of the lotto operators association, suspected foul play.

The many questions on the lips of many is why will Kashamu rush to sign an out of court settlement in a case he initiated? Has he suddenly lost faith in the court process? Why is he such in a hurry for a back door out of court settlement?

Going by his unscrupulous antecedents, many believed that Kashamu’s sudden love affair with NLRC would not bear any good fruit.

Aware of the desperate, underhand tactics of Kashamu, aided by NLRC officials, to circumvent due process, the other lotto operators, determined not to allow this to happen, swung into action.

Already they have written a petition to the House of Representatives Committee on Gaming which has commenced full investigation into the matter.

They have not stopped – they have also sent petitions to the Senate and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

The lotto operators are protesting the move by the NLRC to sign out of court agreement with Kashamu behind their back. “This is very suspicious and inimical to the progress of other operators. Signing such agreement with him, will Kashamu a pseudo-regulator where other operators will now be paying him royalties for inventing nothing, a case of eating where he did not sow,” an official of one of the lotto operators based in Ibadan explained to this medium.

Further investigations at the NLRC revealed that indeed Kashamu’s nocturnal activities in the commission have polarised staff and management of the commission. There are claims and counter claims of money inducement among staff and management of the commission and Kashamu, huge sums of money were reported to have exchange hands and Kashamu even had the gut to introduce a consultant to the commission.

The lotto operators have vowed not to waiver in their collective struggle to ensure that due process is not toy with by Kashamu and his cohorts in the NLRC.

The die is indeed cast!

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It’s 7 Star Performance for Chain Reactions at 2024 SABRE Awards

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It was a seven-star performance for Chain Reactions Africa (CRA), one of Africa’s leading Public Relations and Integrated Communications Consultancy as it took home seven African SABRE trophies, more than any other public relations firm in Africa in the 2024 competition.
The awards which were held at the end of the annual African Public Relations Association (APRA) Conference, were presented by Provoke Media, organisers of the awards in Basam, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivore on May 16th 2024.
The work covered campaigns for the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), and its Lagos Blue Rail, 9mobile’s The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, ‘Taming the Bull’ for the Presidency, ‘Next Era of Happiness’ for leading biscuit company, Pladis Foods Nigeria Limited.
Receiving the awards on behalf of Chain Reactions and its clients, was its Managing Director/Chief Strategist, Israel Opayemi, who noted that this is a seven-star performance by Chain Reactions Africa at the 2024 SABRE Awards.
In his comments Opayemi said “to emerge as the highest winner at the 2024 edition of the award with seven SABRE Awards is humbling as well as exciting for us at Chain Reactions Africa. We are immensely proud to be honoured on such a global platform like the SABRE awards which is the holy grail of Public Relations globally as the awards programme is dedicated to benchmarking the best PR works across the globe.”
He continued, “I am making a three-fold dedication of these multiple trophies to our clients who believe in us, my team members who do the brave works relentlessly and our dear country Nigeria. Ten years ago, we were at the SABRE Awards in Miami, Florida in the United States watching and applauding as winners took turn on stage. Ten years ago, we were asking for a seat at the table. Today, we are sitting in creative resplendence at the head of the table. Today, we are flying the Nigerian flag on the global stage. We are now a territory of reckon and relevance in the global PR space.”
It seems winning awards is just a Chain Reactions thing, chuckled Arun Sudhaman CEO and Editor-in-Chief of Provoke Media, organizers of the SABRE Awards as Opayemi rose up seven times to receive the awards. The PR consultancy also picked up four Certificates of Excellence in recognition of its work launching the Nigerian Youth Trend Report 2024 known as ‘ARAMANDA’, ‘Next Era of Happiness’, ‘Lagos Blue Rail’, ‘The Hack – Expand Your Hustle’, and ‘Taming the Bull’.
In his reaction, President and Chairman of Council of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) described the awards by Chain Reactions Africa as “a harvest of honours for Nigeria”. He thanked the Chain Reactions Africa team for their outstanding works saying, “thank you for making us proud.”
Chain Reactions Africa has over the years won several prestigious SABRE awards and has been awarded more than 15 Certificates of Excellence. At last year’s award, the company won CEO of the Year category for the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu for use of public relations to tell the story of his administration’s achievements and scooped two Certificates of Excellence in the Corporate Image category for the ‘Momentum Campaign’ for Cellulant, a flagship payment solution provider; and ‘Marketing to Consumers’ category for ‘The #NaijaHighlandah Campaign’ for William Lawson’s, Scotch Whiskey brand.
The 2024 Africa SABRE Awards shortlist included more than 120 campaigns, selected from over 500 entries in this year’s competition, which recognises Superior Achievement in Branding, Reputation and Engagement. The campaigns were evaluated by a jury of industry leaders.


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Abuja Investments Company Limited Launches Automated System

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In a significant stride toward modernization and efficiency, Ambassador Maureen P. Tamuno, Group Managing Director and CEO of Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL) has unveiled an Automated Tollgate System for streamlining access control, security enhancement, and facilitation of smoother operations in Garki Ultra -Modern Market in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to Fatima Nadada, Head of Communications, AICL, the automated system will among other things provide: Smart Access Control; also, the new system employs cutting-edge technology to regulate entry and exit at the market gates by ensuring that only authorized individuals can access the premises.

“In addition, there is room for real-time monitoring of activities as market administrators can monitor activities at the gates in real time, allowing for prompt responses to any anomalies or security breaches.

 “Also, the system collects data on foot traffic, peak hours, and patterns. Thus, enabling informed decision-making by the management of the market, as well as efficient revenue collection, since it will improve automated payment processing, simplifies fee collection, reduce paperwork and enhance transparency.”

In her remarks at the event, Ambassador Tamuno expressed enthusiasm on the milestone and was optimistic that the automated system would not only empower market stakeholders but contribute to the growth of FCT’s economy.


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Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks Treats 40 Consumers to an Epic Easter Movie Hangout

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Reinforcing her commitment to a delightful consumer experience, Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks, a leading brand from Rite Foods Limited, hosted 40 lucky fans to an impressive Easter celebration. This exciting Easter movie hangout took place at Silverbird Cinemas, Ikeja City Mall, Lagos, and featured a screening of the movie, “Beast of Two Worlds (Ajakaju)”.

The movie’s portrayal of traditional Nigerian society alongside its thrilling plot left the Bigi consumers thoroughly entertained. After the movie, the fans received exciting freebies and expressed their gratitude to the Bigi brand for this special Easter treat.

Biola Aransiola, Assistant Brand Manager, Bigi, commented on the event, highlighting Bigi’s dedication to showing appreciation to their consumers. “This movie hangout served as a way to celebrate Easter with our loyal fans and provide them with a truly extraordinary experience, all while enjoying the refreshing and diverse range of 13 Bigi flavours,” Aransiola stated.

Bigi Carbonated Soft Drinks has consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to consumer well-being. The brand actively connects with its audience by creating opportunities to fulfill their dreams and offering refreshment throughout their journeys. Bigi’s dedication to its consumers is further solidified through sponsorships of various initiatives, earning them prestigious awards such as the “Most Innovative Carbonated Soft Drink Brand of the Year” (2023), “Friendly Brand of the Year” (2023), and “Best Value for Money-Carbonated Soft Drink Brand” (2023), among others


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