Nigerian chess champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa, Tunde Onakoya, has addressed the allegations that he is a ‘sell-out’ for taking photos with the president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This comes after President Tinubu, on Tuesday, shared a photo of the duo on his X handle, hailing the impact of the founder of Chess in Slums Africa.
However, hours after the photo went viral, Onakoya came under fire for featuring in a photo with President Tinubu.
In response to the backlash, the Chess In Slum founder published a lengthy thread on his X account, stressing that his organisation’s impact goes beyond just providing charity, but rather aims to empower children with critical thinking skills and vocational education.
“I have no interest in partisan politics because of the sensitivity of the work that I do. If that ever changes, then I would resign my role as CEO of Chess in slums Africa,” he posted.
“I’ll say a few things… The anger, the hate, the love, the applause, the criticism, all of it is valid and I embrace it,” Onakoya began. “I am a world record holder which means I have attained something no one else in the world has ever done. I was recently honoured and awarded by the city of New York. To be honoured and received by the President and the highest office in my own country for this reason is not a crime.”
Onakoya also highlighted his achievements, including breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon.
He expressed gratitude for the recognition he received from President Tinubu, but maintained that this did not imply an endorsement of the president’s policies.
“A visit is not an endorsement. I will visit many more people and will continue to sell my chess boards,” Onakoya clarified. “You may not understand my intentions or character because the only thing you know about me is what I let on social media. But reputation is not character. It’s been 10 long years of staying with this one thing, so I know for a fact that I have earned the benefit of the doubt.”
Onakoya emphasised that his organisation’s work is not driven by partisan politics, but rather by a commitment to empowering children and promoting education. “I have no interest in partisan politics because of the sensitivity of the work that I do. If that ever changes, then I would resign my role as CEO of Chess in Slums Africa,” he stated.
The chess champion also highlighted the impact of his organisation’s work, including partnering with the Lagos State Government to rehabilitate street children.
“We’ve been working with the Lagos state government for about a year now to take kids from Jakande and Isale Eko off the streets. One of them recently graduated from furniture school and is living again,” Onakoya said.
Onakoya expressed his commitment to his work and his vision for the future.
“In a decade or two, the Chess/STEM institute will stand and it will be a place where thousands of children will dream again and be educated in a way that makes them valuable to the world. All the strong opinions we have now falls flat in the face of this.
“My fight is different. I’m not on the fence. I took a stand 10 years ago for the country I want to see,” he said.