Bash Ali opens a can of worms of $12m corruption allegedly involving Tinubu officials, seeks prosecution culprits and refund of money extorted from him
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Some top officials of the Bola Tinubu administration have been accused of corruption involving $12 million meant for an international boxing event.
Bash Ali, Nigerian boxing champion and Guinness World Record hopeful, who made the allegation, named among them Sunday Dare, the president’s Media Adviser, who was once Sports Minister in the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
A letter Ali wrote to Tinubu alleged that the federal government collected $12 million as advance payment for a planned Guinness World Record Boxing Championship but failed to organise the event because of corruption and extortion by key officials.
Also named among the officials is D.A. Muhammad of the defunct Ministry of Sports Development, all of whom Ali accused of collecting N13 million from him under false promises.
He alleged that Trade and Investment Minister of State John Enoh demanded an extra $1 million from him before the project was abandoned.
“The only event in sport in Nigeria that will, apart from MONEY, bring honour and glory is the Guinness World Record Boxing Championship Fight, but CORRUPTION has stalled it,” Ali wrote, per reporting by The Nation.
“Despite my several meetings and discussions with you on the subject matter, the fight is still not happening,” he reminded Tinubu.
Ali wrote that
- The boxing event would have been the first of its kind outside the United States and could have become the most-watched Pay Per View fight in history.
- 132 countries agreed to take part, and the championship would have boosted Nigeria’s image and economy through tourism and international attention.
- The government has set up the Bash Ali Boxing Project Local Organising Committee (LOC) three times over the past 20 years, most recently in 2019, but the fight never happened because of corruption by officials still in powerful positions.
He made three key demands to Tinubu – Immediately re-launch the LOC to restart the boxing project, Investigate the officials named and punish them if found guilty, Refund all the money they took from him.
“Mr. President Sir, after the FGN has collected an advance of USD 12M and extorted millions of Naira from me… I still refused to give up on my country, Nigeria. I want to fight in my country, Nigeria — so help me, please.”
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