The Africa Illustrious Award has congratulated Tunde Onakoya, the Founder of Chess in Slums Initiative Lagos, who has set a record of 43 straight hours playing chess at Times Square in New York. In December 2023, Onakoya was honoured by the Africa Illustrious Award with an award of excellent community service, as a Distinguished Personality of the Year 2023, for his work in the slums of Lagos with his Chess in Slums Initiative.
Earlier this year, Tunde Onakoya defeated about ten chess masters in Germany. Within the last 48 hours, Tunde has repeated this feat in New York, where he defeated all the chess masters competing with him for the Guinness World Record, playing for an unbroken 43 hours to the admiration of all.
In a statement, Dr. Arinze Madueke, the convener of the Africa Illustrious Award, has described Tunde Onakoya’s outing as a testament to the stuff he is made of. According to the Africa Illustrious Award, Tunde is an epitome of the Nigerian spirit of resilience, dedication, and passion. “When we interacted with Tunde Onakoya before he was given an award in December last year, our team had no doubt that he was qualified and deserving of the Africa Illustrious Award. This is because of the enormity of work he is putting into reviving kids in the slums of Lagos, giving them hope and a real chance at a better life. Tunde discovered how to use his passion to change lives for good. He uses his passion for chess to impact lives in Lagos slums, in a seamless blend of passion and service to mankind. We are proud of his work and dedication. Despite the challenges, he was not deterred. This exemplifies the unconquerable Nigerian spirit. For us at the Africa Illustrious Award, this feat on the world stage by Tunde Onakoya did not come as a surprise. We are proud of him. He should keep the Nigerian and indeed, the African flag high,” the statement reads.
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