Fans Club To Osinbajo: FG Must Ensure Bash Ali’s Fight Is Staged In Nigeria

 

Bash Ali Fans Club of Nigeria (BAFCON) has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Office of the Vice President to ensure that all needed support is given to the actualisation of the Guinness Book of World Record Boxing Championships in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s Bashiru Lawrence Ali (OON) popularly called Bash Ali is preparing for a world boxing tournament in the country and if he wins, he would be the oldest man to have won a world boxing fight, a feat that will write his name and that of Nigeria in the Guinness Book of World Record.

Several efforts are being made to see that the fight is staged in the country with the efforts meeting brick wall due to official high-handed by the sports authorities despite presidential order that the Ministry of Youth and Sports should facilitate the organisation of the boxing championship in Nigeria.

Bash Ali met the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo during an official assignment in Lagos few weeks ago with the Osinbajo assuring the ageless boxer that his office will look into the fight issue.

President of BAFCON, Dickson Ayorinde Oshin told PM EXPRESS during an interview that the world boxing title fight is long overdue. He chided the Federal Government for paying lip service to the staging of the fight.

“I wonder how the Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung can deliberately ignored the directive of Mr. President on the fight despite the fact that Nigeria will gain a lot if this fight is staged in the country.

“But I am so much happy with the response of our Vice President when he met Bash Ali in Lagos recently that the government will act on the issue of this fight now.

“On behalf of thousands of members of BAFCON spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, we are appealing to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to urgently work on the requests of Bash Ali concerning the Guinness Book of World Record Boxing Championship. We strongly believe that if this fight is staged here in Nigeria, the country will gain a lot with attending multiplier effect on Nigerian sports and our youths.

“The struggle to have this fight staged in Nigeria has been on for years, but because of official corruption things have been very difficult. Two separate local organising committees were put in place by the Federal Government, but because Bash Ali stood his ground not to yield to the pressure of corruption, some people have been blocking this fight from seeing the light of the day.

“We believe that the Vice President can use his good office to facilitate the organisation of this fight. As a patriotic Nigerian, Bash Ali rejected international pressure to have this fight taking away from Nigeria. We have to thank him for his steadfastness, determination and doggedness. We will continue to pray for the champion of our time,” Oshin said.

President of BAFCON, Dickson Ayorinde Oshin