President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated Tunde Onakoya on setting a new world chess record and showcasing Nigeria’s ingenuity at the square of global acclaim.
It should be recalled that Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon on Saturday, after playing for over 58 hours and winning every match in tow.
President Tinubu in a statement by presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, celebrated the Nigerian Chess Champion and founder of Chess in Slums Africa for the rare achievement, and portraying Nigeria’s resilience and self-belief to a global audience.
He praised Onakoya for the philanthropic reason behind his quest, which is raising funds for African children to learn and find opportunity through chess.
The president said Onakoya had shown a pattern that was common among Nigeria’s youth population, the audacity to make good change happen, to baffle impossibility, and propel innovations and solutions to the nation’s challenges, even from corners of disadvantage.
He affirmed that Nigeria’s youths have demonstrated in all fields, including Afrobeats, Nollywood, the pulsating skit-making enterprise, education, science, and technology.
The president assured all citizens that his administration remained strongly committed to creating and expanding opportunities for the youth to explore and exercise their abilities.
