<strong><em>Presidnt Buhari (right) and Sports Minister Sunday Dare</em></strong>
Bash Ali fans Club of Nigeria (BAFCON) has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari for not doing enough to see the staging of the Guinness World Record Fight, an international bout between African Boxing Ambassador, Bashiru Lawrence Ali, OON and another foreign boxer.
The championship is planned to be staged in Nigeria, but the non-challant attitude of the Nigerian government over the years has not allowed the fight to see the light of the day.
On a number of occasions, President Buhari has given order to the Sports Minister, Mr Sunday Dare to begin a process for the fight to hold in the country only for the Minister to turn a deaf ear to the presidential order.
Having waited endlessly for a world boxing title fight that will attract foreign investments to the country and be televised via pay-per-view telecast across the world, Bash Fans Club of Nigeria headed by Comrade Dickson Ayorinde is asking President Buhari and Sports Minister Sunday Dare to give an account to the people of Nigeria on what they have done so far on Bash Ali Boxing Project over these years.
</em> <strong><em>Bash Ali and his team pays courtesy visit to ex sports minister Solomon Dalung in his office in Abuja</em></strong>
“It is high time our President Muhammad Buhari and members of All Progressive Congress (APC) should explain why the project has not been done till this time, because Buhari gave approval three times since he has been on the throne for the project to be done.
“This is a project that would boost our economy, create avenue for the country to make money, create employment for the youth. But nothing has been done. It is so sad,” Ayorinde lamented.
</em> <strong><em>Champion Bash Ali (left) and BAFCON president, Ayorinde in those days.</em></strong>
BAFCON president recalled how he trekked from Alakuko to Ogba in Lagos just to vote for Buhari and APC in 2015 without collecting Kobo from anybody, “with the hope we have seen a messiah that would support Bash Ali’s project because former President Goodluck Jonathan and his PDP were unable to do it.”
“There had been several press conferences and inaugurations of the local organising committees, while Nigerians, home and abroad eagerly waiting for this project to be done, many have died before this time. It is high time we wake up from our slumber and begin to ask the authorities series of questions about the reasons this project has not been able to see the light of the day. Members of BAFCON across the country are disappointed with this government especially the sports minister
“We want our president to explain why this project has not been done despite all his approvals, no time to waste again, or is it until Bash Ali die before we will celebrate him as the oldest boxer in the world?
“We need to value our own product, let’s value what we have, we need to be proud of our Nigeria. We are the giant of Africa, this is our right, we want government to settle us for our right,” Ayorinde said.