Sports Minister John Enoh has demanded a public apology from former World Boxing Champion Bash Alli within a week for making false claims against him or face legal action. This comes after Alli alleged in an open letter to President Bola Tinubu that the minister demanded $1 million from him to endorse his plan for the "oldest boxers' fight" in Nigeria.
In response, Enoh warned Alli to retract his statement or face the consequences. He emphasized that he had never demanded any form of gratification from Alli and that ignoring these allegations would only embolden him to continue such behavior.
Enoh stated that despite challenges, there are individuals serving the country with honesty, integrity, and patriotism, and he is one of them. He highlighted that Alli's plan to stage his boxing fight in Nigeria has been ongoing for almost two decades and is not the responsibility of the government but a business that the private sector should handle.
The minister also revealed that he had met with Alli in his early days as Minister of Sports Development, against the advice of his staff, out of respect for Alli's age and his open-door policy. However, he was cautioned by his staff who were familiar with Alli's character and tactics.
Enoh concluded by stating that the move to clear his name has just started and there will be no let-up until he achieves this mission.
