Bash Ali apologises to President Jonathan and Sports minister

Allsports: Veteran Nigerian cruiserweight boxer, Bash Ali on Tuesday in Abuja tendered an apology for his actions in pushing for the government to sponsor his intended fight.

Ali had a problem with the Sports mininster, Bolaji Abdullahi after the boxer was thrown out by the minister’s security men for forcefully trying to break protocols to see him.

But he has apologised adding that his actions in was not intentional, nor was he willing to hurt anybody.

Ali is pushing to have his name enter the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest boxer to win a world title, which he plans to stage in Nigeria.

“I will like to tender my unreserved apology to anybody I might have hurt in the process of my trying to bring honour, glory, employment and clean money to Nigeria,” Ali said at a press conference.

“My apologies especially to President Goodluck Jonathan and the Minister of Sports, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi who is also Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC).”

“If I have hurt the President or the minister, I am sorry. It was not intentional.”

“It is just my trying to do something for Nigeria. If Mr President thinks that I upset him by breaking protocol to see him, I am sorry,’’ he said.

However, Ali said that he is not asking the federal government to finance the fight but to help by inaugurating the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and create an enabling environment for the project.

“I just want the federal government to go ahead and inaugurate the LOC. That is all.

“The project will be private sector-driven with the federal government providing the enabling environment,’’ he said.