The National Master of Chess and current Guinness World Record holder for the longest Chess Marathon in history, Mr. Tunde Onakoya, has been named the State’s Sports Ambassador by Ogun State Governor Prince Dapo Abiodun.
The State Chess Competition will begin in all regions of the state in honor of Mr. Onakoya, as declared by Governor Abiodun, who made this known on Thursday when he welcomed Mr. Onakoya in his office at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.
Abiodun expressed his admiration for the National Chess Master’s accomplishments on the international scene, stating that perseverance, hard effort, and dedication were necessary for this to have happened.
“I can see why you continue to be inspiration to many young people across the length and breadth of this country. You have gone further by establishing a foundation called the ‘Chess in Slums Africa’ because you are determined to tell your story and encourage other children and get them out of the slums and give them hope and future.
“Today, we will be officially appointing you as our State Sports Ambassador. Coincidentally, Ogun State will be hosting the National Sports Festival in the next nine months or thereabouts and we are boasting that we are set to host the best National Sports Festival that has never been held in the history of this country and coincidentally, chess is one of the games that will feature in that event.
“I have decided that because of you and in your honour, we will begin an Ogun State Chess Competition across the length and breath of the state. Since you are now officially our Sports Ambassador and our Chess Ambassador, we will leave it to you to design that competition from the local government all the way to the state level.
“But we as your state, we will have a sponsor in the Tunde Onakoya Prize, for the winner of that competition,” the governor explained.
The governor said that the Chess Master’s struggles are similar to those of millions of young people in Nigeria who are trying to make a living, and that his successes in the face of adversity are proof that life does not respect a person’s origins, place of birth, or social standing of parents.
He praised the world’s oldest chess marathon holder for his unwavering will to succeed without resorting to questionable means, adding that by achieving this milestone, he has joined the ranks of distinguished sons and daughters who have made Ogun State proud in their chosen fields.
Earlier, Mr. Onakoya had expressed to the governor his sincere thanks for the support Nigerians had given him during his ascent to fame and his pride in being a Nigerian.
He also talked about the difficulties he had as a child, noting that he had never seen chess as a means of escaping poverty or developing his capacity for deeper critical thought.
“I am proud to be a Nigerian and from Ago-Iwoye, Ogun State, I felt highly honoured and happy in the way Nigerians all over the world supported me immensely to achieve this feats and the honour accorded me by our royal fathers and His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun, my state Governor,” Onakoya said.
