
Nigeria’s Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh.
Controversy has set in as boxing champion, Bash Ali made allegations against the Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, of a request to offer him (Minister) $1m bribe to secure approval for a World Record fight in Nigeria.
Ali made his point following a meeting between him and the Minister to discuss the possibility of staging a historic boxing fight in the country.
According to Bash Ali, the Minister made a request during their meeting in Lagos, which he found surprising and refused to comply with, leading to a breakdown in their negotiations.

Boxing Champion, Bash Ali.
In a press conference held in Abuja, Bash Ali revealed that he had been seeking the Minister’s endorsement for his fight, which aims to secure a Guinness World Record for the oldest boxer.
However, he alleged that the Minister’s request was unreasonable and unacceptable.
“I was taken aback by the Minister’s request, and I refused to comply. I am a World Boxing Champion, and this fight is for the Guinness World Record as the oldest boxer. I expect transparency and integrity in our dealings,
“I told the Minister to be patient, and once the fight holds, he will get clean money more than the $1m USD he is begging for,” Bash Ali said.
Meanwhile, Senator John Owan Enoh has denied the allegations, describing them as ‘baseless and malicious.’

Senator John Owan Enoh.
Also briefing journalists, the Minister claimed that their meeting was merely exploratory and aimed at ensuring the successful staging of the boxing event in Nigeria.
“I never demanded any form of gratification from Bash Ali. Our meeting was exploratory, and I was only seeking to ensure the success of the event. Bash Ali’s allegations are a manufactured lie,” Enoh refuted.
The Minister also pointed out that the Federal Government had already endorsed the Bash Ali Boxing Project.
“It is worth noting that Bash Ali has made similar allegations against previous sports ministers, and has been previously restrained by a court from making further defamatory statements,” he added.
The Minister has threatened legal action against Bash Ali and demanded a retraction of the allegations.
