NLA staff laud new Director-General, Sammi Awuku for reforms

Staff of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) say some major challenges faced by the authority including the non-availability of payrolls and the non-payments of big wins have been addressed by the new Director-General Samuel Awuku.

According to the workers, interventions made by the new DG have repositioned the authority on a positive trajectory. NLA staff have in the past protested over unfair working conditions, delays in promotions, unpaid allowances amongst others.

Sammi Awuku since his appointment in office some 100 days ago, has brought renewed dynamism and vigour to the lotto operating business. According to the staff, the first 100 days have been a period of fulfilled promises. That’s not all, they also observed that their colleague workers who hitherto were always absent without notification or not at the post during reporting time, now make it a point to always be at post.

The Local Union Chairman Eric Tamakloe in assessing the first 100 days of Mr Awuku in office observed that some major challenges faced by the authority have been addressed including the non-availability of paper rolls.

“When we were calling for the removal of the former director (Mr. Osei Ameyaw) and I also recall that we made a call on the President to give us a director who will listen. And I think that that the President has listened to our call by giving us somebody who is listening. We are so lucky to have Mr. Awuku as our director. On the paper roll issue, I think that has been dealt with because we no longer have issue with the shortage of paper rolls and with the big wins I still think we have some of the wins outstanding even though he’s made some giant strides in making some funds available for the wins” he added.

Acting head of Human resource department Sheila Atiemo says the delay in promotion of workers has been resolved boosting staff morale.

“Staff morale was very low in the previous years but with the coming in of Mr. Awuku a lot ha change because staff morale is very high. The workers feel that this is somebody who is here to listen to them and be with them and not a Director-General who will distance himself from the staff.”

She also explained Mr. Awuku championed and authorised a public service document which saw the general promotion of staff noting that about 400 staff from various levels were promoted within the period.

The acting head of sales and Marketing at NLA, Kwabena Opoky Boakye is confident the measure put in place by the new leadership would maximize revenue.

“It’s more about taxing for a takeoff. He is pressing the right buttons and revenue has not declined because we have stabilized. It was declining but he succeeded in arresting the decline but I hope that by the first quarter of 2022 we start seeing the manifestation of his policies,” he said.

Meanwhile, some of the workers including the head of Customer Service, Dorcas Nortey are excited about the prospects of the Authority, adding that the positive trajectory should continue unabated.