OPINION ARTICLE
WRITTEN BY YOMI OPAKUNLE
Enigmatic Hon. Kunle Soname and his Remo Stars FC (a privately owned football club) most recently made history in winning the 2024/25 season Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) title.
It is the first club from Ogun State to win Nigeria’s Premier League since creation of the State and, in so doing, lifted the erstwhile sleepy town of Ikenne from where reverred late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo SAN hailed from, just like himself, to global recognition in football.
Indeed, Ikenne has gone global and, if you ask me, I would say the euphoria of this victory has been deservedly very loud. But beyond the victory are several lessons of visionary sure-footedness by Soname, that are worth scrutinizing and emulating, for replication nationwide. Here we go with the success lessons….
■ Remo Stars did not suddenly or accidentally become NPFL Champions. The club finished 3rd three seasons ago and 2nd two seasons ago as well as 2nd last season! – lessons of painstaking hardwork and focus on the club’s vision as consciously envisioned by Hon. Soname.
■ Same Remo Stars, since its establishment, had achieved promotion to the NPFL more than twice and was relegated to the lower league twice, only to bounce back to the NPFL diadem eventually! – lessons of a never-say-die spirit and keeping eyes on the objective no matter how long it takes to achieve it. That is, never admit failure, until you’ve succeeded. Always keep on trying.
■ Club started by hiring infrastructures at home in Ogun State, but now owns massive global standard infrastructures in the State! Lessons of ‘from little seeds grow big Oak trees’ and little beginnings should never be a barrier to great achievements.
■ One Club at the start; three clubs now (Remo Stars Ladies inclusive)! Lessons in incremental growth and prudent reinvestment strategy laced with focused patience.
■ ‘Unsung/unassuming’ hardworking focused Chief Coach handling the club for some years now – Ogumodede, deservedly getting national recognition via appointment as one of the assistant coaches of our premium national team, the Super Eagles. Lessons of faith/believe of Hon. Soname in the talents/abilities/potentials of his coach, trusting that giving him time would lead to a glorious tomorrow that has become today. Soname had watched from close quarters, the potentials in Ogunmodede working as assistant to a couple of past Chief Coaches of the team and decidedly gave him the opportunity to be in full charge as the Chief Coach about 5 years ago. See what his unshaken faith in the talents of the young man has crystallized to.
■ Unshaken believe in the youth! Just check the average age of Soname’s players – he even has an Academy (Beyond Limits) that is doing well in the immediate lower Nigeria Pro League and is structured serve as Feeder team to Remo Stars – intentionality and deliberateness.
■ Sustenability/Financial capability! Unlike many previous privately owned clubs which get financially challenged as time gets by, the proprietor who deliberately rather than luckily owns Bet Naija, must have dedicated a reasonable percentage of his Return on Investment (ROI) from Bet Naija and proceeds from player transfers and other businesses (including a Portuguese 2nd division team he is the majority owner of) to the pursuit of his well thought out sports business vision; not expecting immediate returns but assured of a certain successful future that has come to fore.
■ Street Wise Soname!
Unknown to many, this son of the famous multimillionaire Remo Carpet owner of yore – yes, the same Chief Soname Snr. whom Ebenezer Obey sang about – chose to discount all that glamour, to go become streetwise early in life. He was a 2-time Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri LCDA (the very grassroot of public service governance), where he was a huge success. Believe me, he was ready to integrate his vision which is ‘now coming to fruition’ to Ogun State to impact more people statewide through a Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) model. In fact, he was ready to accept the Vice Chairmanship of the State-owned Gateway FC back in 2011 to jumpstart the dream, but the Governor at the time felt there would be conflict of interest, so didn’t approve. I know, because I was SA at the Ministry of Youth & Sports back then and was involved.
As at then, the now blossoming Bet Naija hadn’t even come on board for Soname, but he trudged on surefootedly with great determination and, today, the rest is history. Lesson: Nigeria is full of God’s special blessings and once we continue to seek for His special grace and remain focused, patient and hardworking, our dreams can come true.
Conclusively, this piece is to salute and celebrate Hon. Kunle Soname, my dear brother and President of Remo Stars Group, who is a whole lesson in successful ‘sportstrepreneurship,’ for this hugely and fittingly deserving achievement, divinely thrust on him on his 59th birthday.
Congratulations to Honorable Kunle Soname and his entire group.
YOMI OPAKUNLE, a veteran sports journalist, writes from Ifako-Gbagada, Lagos.
