Kunle Soname

Kunle Soname 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. He is the Founder of the private Nigerian airline ValueJet.

Early life and education Soname studied Estate Management at Obafemi Awolowo University where he graduated in 1988. He served as the Executive Chairman of Ikosi-Isheri Local Council, a post he held till 2011.

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.

Soname became the owner of C.D. Feirense in 2015.

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

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.

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.

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.

Personal life Soname is married to Kemi Soname and they have a daughter Erioluwa.