Dora Kayode: From Law to Career Move as a Football Agent, Real Estate Developer

Mrs. Dora-Kayode wears multiple hats, first as a lawyer, then as the first female FA Licensed Football Agent in Nigeria and also a real estate developer. All these she juggles as the wife of Nigeria international and Shaktar Donetsk striker who is currently on loan at Sivaspor of Turkish Super League Olarenwaju Ayobami Kayode. Rebecca Ejifoma reports on the burgeoning career of the mother of three

Becoming a lawyer had always been a dream for Mary Kayode. Although this eventually came true, surprisingly, she didn’t end up practicing even though law is one of the most respected courses in Nigeria and the world in general, a profession most parents in Africa would want at least one of their children to study.

A firm believer in the cliche “one can only propose while God disposes”, she affirmed that “while growing up I have always had the dream career in mind which was to study law, a dream that finally came true”. But despite the tough journey of becoming a lawyer, the law graduate from the reputable Madonna University of Okija in Anambra State, afterwards chose another path for herself by becoming the first female FA Licensed football Agent in Nigeria.

In her kitty already is Nigerian international player, Olarenwaju Kayode, who is a Shaktar Donetsk striker but is currently on loan at Sivaspor of Turkish Super League. Although he happens to be her husband, that hasn’t deterred her from working assiduously as her job demands.

Pull as a Football Agent

Behind every sportsman, there is an agent pulling the string at the background for a better professional life off the field. Just like other influential footballers like Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Salah, Mane, Kante are being managed by agents such as Jorge Mendes, Paul Stretford, Pere Guadiola, Jonathan Barnett, Mino Riola, Pini Zahavi, Tim Hager, Jerome Anderson, Diomansy Kamara, Ojo Paul, Raph Nkomo, Mike Makaab and Karabo Mathang-Tshabuse, to ensure the success of the footballers they manage, so is Dora Kayode also actively working hard for the success of her husband too.

It is pertinent to state that she did not stumble into the job as she has always been an avid football lover. According to her, “I love football and everything was just perfect for us because he is a football player. I just love the game and I have my favourite teams in Europe. In the English Premier League, my team is Manchester United, in La Liga, Real Madrid, In Serie A, Juventus because C-Ronaldo is there and in France, PSG. In Bundesliga I love Bayern Munich; and by the way, I like Dortmund too. I have come to love it more because my husband is a fantastic player. I love watching him play on TV and scoring goals. It gives me so much joy”.

When the picture became clearer that she is going to play huge part in the success of her husband’s football career, was when the agents managing the husband allegedly began to frustrate him and she tried getting things back to track. She had no choice than to become the husband’s manager/agent and since then it has been a different story all the way.

According to her, “at the beginning when I met him, he was really rough and he was going through a lot. He had a lot of agents and some of the contracts he entered were slavery agreement. I understood what he was going through because I studied law and can interpret the contracts. So, I decided to come in. I told him that he has to start all over by terminating all his contracts and agents. It was the only way to move on. He was in a difficult situation that made him sad which is not good for his career.

“Thereafter I gave a couple of people the opportunity to manage him, but most of them did not come through. They were just interested in the money aspect of any contract. They were not thinking of the player’s needs. At a point I felt that I needed to do things myself because if I allow this to go on, it is going to affect him psychologically. So I took over and told him, nobody is going to manage you but I will do it myself. Even if we are going to have people helping us I would be there to oversee things.

“Then, I took it further by going for training to become an FA licensed agent. I want to understand his own point of view as his manager. I am his wife and it’s going to be a lot easier to get his feeling out. He is more open to me and I understood everything about him on the pitch, with the club and every other thing that would make him feel at ease and for both parties- player and club to be happy at the end.

“First, you have to know your rights. The bitter truth is that most of the players are not enlightened. They need people that can tell them the truth and educate them about their rights. At times, agents and clubs like to overshadow and confuse them to do things they don’t want to do. As a lawyer, I decided to study the rule of football and combine it with fundamental human rights to ensure that my client gets the better of any contract. That kept my husband on track and happy.”

Testimonial

The Super Eagles forward Kayode believes that the best that happened to him was handing over the management of his football career to his wife. Today, Kayode is listed among the successful Nigerian footballers. Kayode can boost of playing for clubs such as Manchester City, Shaktar Donetsk, Austria Wien, Girona, Gaziantep FK, Luzern and Maccabi Netanya.

In the Beginning

On how they met she said: “We met in Lagos and it started from there. We became friends and by 2015 we were married. He is a passionate and very loving person. I’m from Abia State. I am an easy going Igbo woman who got married to a Yoruba man. Most of my friends and cousins married Yoruba men. So the question is what do Yoruba men see in Igbo women? And the thing is Yoruba men like Igbo women.

“The family may not like it because of the difference in culture and ethic group, but I feel that there is a connection between Yoruba men and Igbo women. We are compatible because what he loves, I love too. I love football and everything was just perfect for us because he is a football player. I just love the game and I have my favourite teams.”

Venture into Real Estate

Meanwhile, Dora is not just and lawyer and Kayode’s agent, but also a real estate developer who has developed and owns a lot of properties scattered in Lagos and beyond. Her husband of course, won’t play football forever, so it’s essential that appropriate investments are made to secure the future.

For her, real estate plays a crucial role in organising society. “It influences where and how we live, work, and recreate. Historically, almost all wealth was in the form of land and real property. Today, real estate continues to be the largest asset class in the world”.

Acknowledging that her job as her husband’s agent/manager doesn’t give her the needed time to attend to her real estate business fully, she expressed hope that she would go full-time after her husband retires from football. “After football, there is something you should fall back on and I think this is the safest thing one should fall back on and that that’s property business since we are into it already

“The real estate market includes everything from residential properties (homes, apartments, condos) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) to commercial real estate (office buildings, hotels, shopping centers) and conservation lands.

“Lawyers also serve important roles in all aspects of real estate development, finance, investment, and transactions. Lawyers also play critical roles in drafting, interpreting, and reforming the legal rules and institutions that facilitate and regulate real estate markets and various uses of property, from federal statutes like the Fair Housing Act to local zoning ordinances. In doing so, lawyers can use their skills to promote the common good in a way that is conducive to the long-term growth and sustainability of our country and our communities.”

On the why she ventured into real estate, she disclosed that it was to give the real estate industry another look and create more jobs for Nigerians directly and indirectly in order to augment all they have been doing in the past few years. “My husband and I contribute immensely to the less privileged but we don’t make it a headline. I love good things and go for the best. If you visit most of my finished properties, you will be marveled. We give the best and foreign standard”.

Ethos

Her success today might be attributed to the values she imbibed while growing up under a principled and disciplined mother who wants nothing less than the best for her or anybody around her. “I grew up with my mum and she is a no-nonsense woman but also very loving. She made sure I got the best. My growing up was an interesting. I learnt a lot from her and my grandmother because they made me to understand that life isn’t a bed of roses”.

According to her, “they also taught me how to stay calm during storm because after rain comes the sun. I went to one of the best primary schools in Aba, Constitution Crescent Primary School also known as Santa Maria. After, I went to Federal Government Girls’ College, Umuahia and then proceeded to Madonna University Okija in Anambra State.

“My mum shaped my life because she is a believer of good education and she is a very hard working mother so I decided to follow her footsteps. I am a focused woman and I always go for the best. Hardwork, discipline and honesty were what kept me in the right track. One must be hardworking and also apply discipline in everything they do in life and they must also be truthful in dealing with others.”