When Lagos State, under then-Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu, took the bold step of challenging the Federal Government over control of lotteries, it was a fight for fairness, justice, and true federalism.
After years of legal battle, the Supreme Court, in November 2024, delivered a landmark judgment affirming that lotteries, gambling, and games of chance are the exclusive right of the states—not the Federal Government. For Lagos, the judgment was both a financial and moral victory—a triumph for devolution of powers and a win for the Nigerian Constitution.
Yet, only months after this hard-fought victory—one that spanned 17 years. The interests of Lagos now face fresh threats, not from external adversaries, but from those who have reaped the greatest benefits from its generosity. At the center of this betrayal stand Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to the President, and his brother, Lanre Gbajabiamila.
Lanre Gbajabiamila spent eight years as head of the Lagos State Lottery Board before moving on to another eight years as Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission in Abuja. Following the Supreme Court judgment, and with the backing of the Chief of Staff to the President, Lanre swiftly pushed for the establishment of the FCT Lottery Board solely to secure for himself the position of Director General, a seat he currently occupies
For sixteen years, the Gbajabiamila family has fed fat on the lottery system—first in Lagos, then at the federal level. But instead of stepping aside after exhausting their hold, they now seek to rewrite the rules to perpetuate their grip.
The Nigerian Central Gaming Bill (CGB), which recently passed the House of Representatives, is the latest instrument of this betrayal. Sponsored through Femi Gbajabiamila’s stooge, Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu, the bill is nothing more than a greedy agenda orchestrated by the Chief of Staff. The motive is clear: to strip Lagos of its constitutional right, reverse the Supreme Court judgment, and reinstall Lanre Gbajabiamila as DG of a newly created Central Gaming Commission.
This is not policy. This is not reform. This is greed dressed in legislation. It is an open betrayal of Lagos State, of the judiciary, and of President Tinubu himself—who initiated the very legal battle that secured this victory for the states. If the President truly wanted central control, he would have introduced an Executive Bill. Instead, the Gbajabiamilas are hiding behind proxies to smuggle their selfish agenda through the House of Representatives.
Let it be said plainly: the Gbajabiamilas have become enemies of Lagos State. After benefiting immensely from the system, they now want to rob the state of its rightful revenues—revenues that fund schools, hospitals, roads, and social programs. They want to undermine a Supreme Court judgment for nothing but personal ambition and family enrichment.
The people of Lagos must resist this treachery. The Senate must not concur to such an illegal and self-serving bill. And President Tinubu must stand firm in defense of the Supreme Court judgment, his own legacy, and the interests of Lagos.
The Central Gaming Bill must not be assented to. To do otherwise would reward greed, encourage impunity, and betray the very principles of justice and federalism that the Supreme Court affirmed.
The Gbajabiamilas may cloak their scheme in legislative robes, but Lagosians know the truth: this is nothing but a desperate grab for power and money at the expense of the very state that made them. History will not be kind to those who sell out their own people.
Rafiu Ogunsanya
On behalf of Concerned Lagosians
