Bash Ali names Special Adviser to Timubu, Sunday Dare in $12m corruption scandal

Sunday Dare

Bash Ali

Nigerian boxing legend, Bash Ali, has lashed out at sports administrators in the country, accusing some of them, including President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Media, Sunday Dare, of corruption involving $12 million meant for an international boxing event.

In a letter to President Bola Tinubu, Bash Ali said the federal government collected $12 million as advance payment for the planned Guinness World Record Boxing Championship but failed to organise the event because of corruption and extortion by key officials.

He named Dare, former Sports Minister and now Special Adviser, along with Barrister D.A. Muhammad from the defunct Ministry of Sports Development, accusing them of collecting N13 million from him under false promises.

He also claimed that John Enoh, now Minister of State for Trade and Investment, demanded an extra $1 million 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.

He said he had met President Tinubu several times about the project but nothing had changed.

“Despite my several meetings and discussions with you on the subject matter, the fight is still not happening,” he said.

Bash Ali explained 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. He said 132 countries had agreed to take part, and the championship would have boosted Nigeria’s image and economy through tourism and international attention.

He also noted that the government had set up the Bash Ali Boxing Project Local Organizing 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.

In his letter, Bash Ali made three key demands to President Tinubu: Immediately re-launch the LOC to restart the boxing project; Investigate the officials he named and punish them if found guilty; Refund all the money taken 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,” he added