Ondo: We’ll privatise Sunshine Stars, Queens after 2022/23 season

The Ondo state government says it is embarking on “full-fledged privatization” of both Sunshine Stars and Sunshine Queens after the 2022/2023 football season.

Bamidele Ologunloluwa, the state’s commissioner for sports, announced the development in a recent chat with Crest FM, a radio station, in Akure.

The commissioner said “government has no business in sports,” adding that the administration is willing to entertain interests from organisations.

Ologunloluwa added that the sale would be “better for us as a state” because the government would ensure the clubs are purchased by organisations with track records.

“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,” he said.

“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 sports.

“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 happened, 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 MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), and they must have their offices in the three Senatorial Districts, they must have their ministry in the districts to harvest legs.”

Sunshine Stars FC was founded in 1995. The club is currently sixth in group B of the abridged Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) season.

Sunshine Queens FC was founded in 2005 and was relegated from Nigeria Women’s Football League (NWFL) in 2022.