The Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens, both of Akure, are state-owned football clubs, and the Ondo State Government has stated that it is willing to sell them.
The Sunshine Queens compete in the Nigeria Women Professional Football League’s second level, whereas Sunshine FC currently competes in the Nigeria Professional Football League.
By the end of the current 2022–2023 league season, according to Mr. Bamidele Ologunloluwa, state commissioner for youth and sports development, the state-owned football teams will be available for sale or privatisation to the right investors.
The commissioner stated that clubs needed to be privatised for good administration, adding that this may result in the government totally relinquishing control of the clubs or forming a partnership with investors.
According to him, if a bigger organisation showed interest in buying the club, it would be sold immediately.
He said, “If a club like Manchester United for example says there is a club in Ondo State called Sunshine Stars and we want to have them as our feeder’s team, are you saying we are not going to sell? We will sell immediately.
“Not because we didn’t like Sunshine Stars, because it is even good for us as a state, it is good for the boys, for sports development, because the government has no business in business.”
Nonetheless, he pointed out that any business or person with a solid track record would be eligible to purchase the club.
In order to avoid taking the team’s focus away from the present NPFL, he added that no one had expressed interest at the time and that the club was not now in the market.
“We just registered a company now; Ondo Sports Limited, Sunshine Stars FC, Sunshine Queens, Risings Stars put together, at the end of the season, we are going into full-fledged privatisation.
“It is better for us as a state, but some people don’t understand this. Once it happens, they will thank Mr Governor. People need to understand that if the right company takes over Sunshine Stars, there will be more jobs, nothing like losing a job, it has to be in the Memorandum of Understanding, they must have their offices in the three Senatorial Districts, they must have their ministry in the districts to harvest legs,” he submitted.
