Kunle Soname

Kunle SonameListenⓘ is a Nigerian entrepreneur, sport enthusiast and the chairman of Bet9ja, a betting website he founded in 2013. He is the owner of Remo Stars, Beyond Limits and Remo Stars Ladies. In 2015, he became the first Nigerian to acquire a European club C.D. Feirense.[1][2] He is the Founder of the private Nigerian airline ValueJet.[3][4]

Early life and education

Soname studied Estate Management at Obafemi Awolowo University where he graduated in 1988.[5] He served as the Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council, a post he held till 2011.[6][7]

Career

Remo Stars previously known as FC Dender was founded by Soname in 2004. The club was then relocated from Lagos State to Remo area of Ogun State. Under the ownership of Kunle Soname, Remo Stars won its first Nigeria Premier Football League title during the 2024–25 season.[8]

Soname became the owner of C.D. Feirense in 2015.[9]

In 2022, Kunle was inducted as a patron at the University of Lagos for his philanthropic activities.[10] He is also the owner of Beyond Limits F.A.[11]

Appointments

Soname served as Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council in Lagos State until 2011. In 2023, he was inducted as a patron of the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC). In 2022, he was inducted as a patron of KB Klub, a socio-philanthropic organisation at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos.[12][13][14][15]

Community impacts

Soname has supported initiatives in sports, education, healthcare, youth development, and humanitarian assistance. He co-founded The Rising Hope Initiative, which implements programmes in education, healthcare, employment, and sports development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he donated funds to the Federal Government and the Lagos and Ogun State governments. He has also provided financial support for sports development and Nigerian athletes.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]


Awards and honours

In 2023, Soname was conferred with the national honour of Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). In 2022, he was inducted as a patron of the University of Lagos Football Club. In 2021, he received an award from the Lagos State chapter of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) in recognition of his contributions to sports development.[23][24][25][26]

Personal life

Soname is married to Kemi Soname and they have a daughter Erioluwa.[5]

References

  1. ↑ "I founded Bet9ja, Remo Stars FC to tackle crime and violence — Soname | National Daily Newspaper". National Daily. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  2. ↑ "Mr. Money Kunle Soname Stages Lavish 90th Birthday for Mom". This Day. 3 November 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "ValueJet Begins Inaugural Flight Operations In Nigeria". Leadership. 10 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "New Nigerian Carrier, ValueJet, Announces Inaugural Flight". This Day.
  5. 1 2 Odutola, Abiola (17 August 2019). "Meet Bet9ja's Kunle Soname, whose firm officially sponsors BBNaija". Nairametrics. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  6. ↑ RACHEL, MADISON. "Meet Bet9ja owner - Kunle Soname". Online Nigeria. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  7. ↑ Egbe, Esther (14 January 2017). "We won't owe our players – Kunle Soname | National Daily Newspaper". National Daily. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  8. ↑ "Who is the Owner of Bet9ja? » Meet Kunle Soname ✔️". Nostrabet.com. Retrieved 2026-02-26.
  9. ↑ Reporter, Samuel Oamen | Senior (2024-09-24). "Nigerians who own football clubs in Europe". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-06-24.
  10. ↑ "Club inducts Soname as patron". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  11. ↑ Sports, Pulse (2024-06-21). "It's Not Against the Rules — Remo Stars and Beyond Limits to play in NPFL as financier backs decision with examples". Pulse Sports Nigeria. Retrieved 2025-02-10.
  12. ↑ Anthony (2022-12-22). "Club inducts Soname as patron". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  13. ↑ "Appointments Archives". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  14. ↑ "How Bet9ja's Kunle Soname left politics to bet on a billion-dollar industry". Businessday NG. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  15. ↑ Nigeria, News Agency of (2023-10-08). "NOC inducts Kunle Soname as patron". Peoples Gazette Nigeria. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  16. ↑ "For Current Champion, Kunle Soname: It's Beyond Gambling – THISDAYLIVE". Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  17. ↑ Rapheal. "About betting magnate Kunle Soname's N200m largesse". The Sun Nigeria. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  18. ↑ "After NOC, Soname Extends Gesture to Paralympics Committee – THISDAYLIVE". Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  19. ↑ Reporter, Our (2025-02-28). "Olopade salutes Soname over impact on Nigerian sports". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  20. ↑ Reporter, Our. "Kunle Soname: Redefining sports administration, philanthropy in Nigeria". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  21. ↑ "Abiodun, Sanwo-Olu hail Soname's entrepreneurial impact at 60". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  22. ↑ "60th Birthday Archives". Punch Newspapers. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  23. ↑ "Kunle Soname @ 60: Nigeria's First European Club Owner Proving Private Investment Can Transform Nigerian Football – DAWN Commission". Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  24. ↑ Amos, Kobor (2021-12-02). "Lagos sports journalists list Sanwo-Olu, Soname, LSSC for highest honour". The Guardian. Lagos, Nigeria. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  25. ↑ Reporter, Our (2025-02-27). "Soname salutes Newstap, SWAN over 5-Star Award". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
  26. ↑ "Kunle Soname Archives". The Nation Newspaper. Retrieved 2026-07-15.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.