Amokachi endorses Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade

Daniel Amokachi

Ex-Super Eagles player and coach, Daniel Amokachi, has voiced his support for the anti-corruption campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The 43-year-old who is now in charge of Finnish club, JS Hercules, joined forces with Coalition of Civil Society Organisations operating under the aegis of National Support Groups for Good Governance (NASUGG) in support of the war against corruption on Tuesday in Abuja.

Amokachi, while addressing Senators Barnabas Gemade and Ovie Omo-Agege when the group stormed the gate of the National Assembly, hailed the recent arrest of alleged corrupt judges, adding that the sports sector should also be looked into.

The former Everton striker revealed the plight of young Nigerians who pay through their noses to get national team call up while insisting the domestic league is equally corrupt.

“My name is Daniel Amokachi. I have said I will support the movement, because in my field which is sports, corruption is endemic,” the former international said.

“Corruption has invaded sports so deeply that even in FIFA headquarters in Zurich, we saw how the world stood up and said ‘Enough is enough!’ We saw how the president, Sepp Blatter, was not spared. He was removed from office because integrity matters when it comes to the constitution.

“President Buhari is one who doesn’t take nonsense when it comes to fighting corruption. I concur with everything he says.

“For instance, in Nigerian football today, the youths, when invited to the national team, a coach will ask them to bring N250,000 each to get into the U-17 team when he already has the talent. If a person has talent, he should be allowed to showcase what he has in the interest of the nation.

“A small team cannot win the Nigerian league because all the people in Nigerian football are corrupt. If a referee is bribed and a match is won here, the match cannot be won there.

“The judiciary is not above the law. Mr. President is on a good path.”

Amokachi made 44 appearances for the Super Eagles in nine years scoring 13 times.