Tunde Onakoya Offers Scholarship To Girl Whose Mom Was Shamed For Taking Her To Work

Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya has pledged to fund the education of a young girl whose mother was criticized for bringing her along to work as a street sweeper at 4 a.m.

The controversy began when a woman identified as Just Adetoun publicly called out the mother for allowing her child to help sweep their estate.

The video sparked widespread outrage, prompting Adetoun to apologize and offer the woman a monthly stipend of ₦19,000.

Reacting to the situation, Tunde Onakoya condemned the public humiliation of the mother in front of her child.

While he agreed that the girl should not be working, he emphasized that what the family truly needed was compassion, not judgment.

Sharing his own experience, Onakoya recalled how his mother once worked as a cleaner, and he would accompany her to help, ensuring they finished before daylight to avoid embarrassment.

Moved by the situation, he announced his commitment to fully sponsor the girl’s education up to university level, hoping to ease their struggles.

He wrote, “Extremely cruel to humiliate a mother in front of her daughter like this. Even worse that this was recorded and posted on social media.

“My mother used to sweep people’s houses and gutters in 2016. It hurt too much that I could do nothing financially to stop her. I often insisted on going with her, just to help fetch the water she needed so we could finish quicker and get back home before daylight. I didn’t want anyone to see us.

“The poverty that pushes one to hide their labour in the dark is a painful one.

“Yes, that child should not be working. But more than outrage, what she and her mother deserve is compassion. The only humane response is to help.

“If no one has done this already, I would like to take full responsibility for the girl’s education through university. I hope this eases their burden in some way. These are incredibly hard times. Our Privilege blinds us in ways we’ll never truly understand.”

Watch the video below:

KanyiDaily recalls that in 2024, Tunde Onakoya broke the Guinness World Record (GWR) for the longest-ever chess marathon with a time of 60 hours at Times Square, New York.