Bash Ali Writes Malami Over Sports Minister’s Inconsistencies On GWR Bout, Threatens Court Action

Posted on May 30, 2021

World Boxing Federation (WBF) cruiserweight champion, Nigerian Bashiru Lawrence Ali has written a strong letter to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN) over what he described as inconsistencies of the Minister of Sports, Sunday Dare who he said had misinformed the Nigerian public about the planned Guinness World Record Boxing Championships scheduled to hold in the country.

According to the African Boxing Ambassador who wrote the AGF in a letter dated 13 May, 2021 through his lawyer, J.S. Okutepa, SAN, it is no secret that the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria since the administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to the regime of the late Umar Yar’Adua, Goodluck Jonathan and the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, have officially endorsed the Guinness World Record Boxing Championships via series of official letters to the extent that the Nigerian government has also instituted three Local Organising Committees under different Ministers of Sports ( 9^th November 2006 by Minister of Sports Bala Kao’je, 7^th January 2014 Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi and 21^st May 2019 by Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung) to show the world the extent of how far the Government and people of Nigeria are determined to support the staging of the fight in Nigeria.

The letter, it was gathered has been received by the offices of both the Minister of Justice and the Sports Minister, Sunday Dare.

Bash Ali’s lawyer averred that it was surprising that a Minister of the Federal Government of Nigeria had to turn around to deny the government’s involvement in the historic fight.

The lawyer said: “On January 7, 2020, our client got a shocking reply from Minister Sunday Dare through a letter, who in the most dramatic and strange summersault, informed our client that no approval was given by Mr. President (Buhari) for the Bash Ali Fight and that Mr. President only directed him to meet with our client to discuss the historic Fight. We have the instruction of our client that he took the contents of the said letter as the huge joke of the century because as has been shown and demonstrated in this letter, there has been consistent evidence of not only approval from the highest level of government in Nigeria, but practical demonstrations of it by inaugurations of series of LOC to organise and stage this fight in Nigeria.”

P.M. EXPRESS reports that documents also show letters written by the Nigerian government to the boxing body in charge of the fight, International Boxing Union (IBU) in the past.

Backing up claims with series of official communications from the Nigerian government to Bash Ali, the lawyer wrote in the letter to Malami that “the feat Bash Ali has attained in his profession has attracted not only glory to Nigeria but also financial gains to the nation and in recognition of his financial contribution towards sports development and promotions in Nigeria, he was bestowed with the highest national honour ever to a Nigerian athlete, by conferring on him the Officer of the Order of the Niger, OON.

“All previous Guinness World Record Boxing Championship Fights have been held in the United States of America (USA), but our clients would be the first outside USA and in the continent of Africa, Nigeria to be exact. This historic event, we have instruction because of the prevailing restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic would be the most lucrative in the history of Pay Per View Television (PPVTV), as it is expected to be watched LIVE by an estimated audience of between 30million – 35million people at the rate of $100 per view which would yield at least $3Billion PPVTV Revenue. This is aside other revenue that would be generated from PPVTV in Africa, sales of souvenirs, sponsorships and adverts. And above all, Five Sports Academies with Olympic size swimming pool and a Sports Equipment Manufacturing Factory will be built across Nigeria at the cost of $20M each.

“It is our client’s instruction that the sponsorship of the event is not to be undertaken by the Federal Ministry of Sports and therefore no financial pressure is to be exerted on government in the hosting of the historic event. The role of government through Ministry of Youth and Sports Development on behalf of the Federal Government is to liaise with the Local Organizing Committee to birth this event only. In fact, the Ministry stands to earn from between $50Million- $100Million from this historic event.”

With all these benefits inherent in the staging of the fight in Nigeria, Bash Ali told Malami that it is saddened that effort to have this done is being scuttled by corruption and bad administration.

“We have the instruction of our client that despite the efforts made by him to have this event hosted in Nigeria which efforts have received the blessings of the Federal Government of Nigeria, the efforts to make this historic event a reality in Nigeria is being and has been frustrated this long time due to what our client has experienced and perceived as corruption and bad administration,” the lawyer wrote.

“It is our client’s instruction that despite all the assurances from the Federal Government, the event is yet to be held and the only reason this historic fight has not held is clearly because our client says NO TO CORRUPTION and BAD ADMINISTRATION. Our client is now at the verge of losing the opportunity of having the fight hosted in Nigeria in fulfillment of his dreams to uplift the image of his fatherland as well as other opportunities beneficial to him and his career.

“We hold the legal view that Minister Sunday Dare cannot change the goal post at the middle of the match and to say that there was no approval from the Federal Government of Nigeria for the Bash Ali Project in the circumstances of the facts hereof and the various annexures attached hereinbefore is not only ridiculous and laughable, but a clear case of the hallucinations and an act of official insubordination and disservice to Nigeria and Nigerian people. We also hold the legal view that the Federal Government through Minister Sunday Dare or any government functionary cannot at this stage deny existence of approval by the Federal Government for the Bash Ali Project. Clearly it is our legal view that the Federal Government of Nigeria having consistently held out to the whole world from President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Muhammadu Buhari that it approved of the fight, inaugurated various LOCs to organized the Fight, made the entire Boxing World to believe and made our client to believe and altered his positions to his detriment by turning down mount watery offers, cannot at this stage deny that it did not approve of the project and the Federal Government of Nigeria is completely estopped to deny existence of approval and contract between it and our client.”

“In view of the foregoing, we have our client’s instruction to demand and we so demand that as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation and Legal Adviser to the Federal Government of Nigeria, and as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, you use not only your sound knowledge of the law to advise the Federal Government of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari to do the needful, call Minister Sunday Dare to order, and to avoid doing any act inconsistent with hosting the historical fight, but to use your good offices to ensure that this historic fight is hosted in Nigeria without further delay.

“Furthermore, we have the instruction of our client to demand and we hereby demand that:

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Youths and Sports Development should forthwith hold a press conference countermanding, cancelling or withdrawing its representations in the earlier press conference held by the Minister Sunday Dare on 20^th May, 2020 and tender an apology to our client which apology should be published in at least 5 national and 3 international diaries in prints of reasonable fonts size.
The Federal Government should forthwith cooperate and collaborate with our client, the LOC and other relevant bodies including the International Boxing Union to have the historic fight hosted in Nigeria not later than 30 days from the date of receipt of this letter.
The Federal Government to pay our client the sum of $10 Billion USD as compensation and/or damages for the defamatory publication against our client in the Minister Dare’s press conference of 20^th May 2020, the inconveniencies and trauma our client has been put through by acts of the Federal Government or persons acting for her with regards to this project.

“Take notice that if the demands of our client as made hereof are not satisfactorily met with within 30 days from the date of this letter, our client without further recourse to you, will use all instrument of lawful means at his disposal including but not limited to litigation to enforce his rights against the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as other persons involved in this very shameful and unpatriotic actions to undermine the efforts and patriotic conduct of our client.”