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Sitting under the neon lights of New York’s Times Square with eyes heavy from days without sleep, a young Nigerian was on the verge of history, but little did he know that the next phase of his life would take shape from that moment. 

Surrounded by strangers, tourists, Nigerians, and fellow Africans, Tunde Onakoya was about to break a Guinness World Record. While everyone was drawn to the intensity of the moment as the clock ticked towards greatness, for Tunde Onakoya, this meant more. 

This was the moment where he became living proof of the words he has carried for years: “You can do great things from a small place.”

Tunde’s story is proof that humble beginnings can birth greatness. From the slums of Ikorodu, Tunde’s story takes us through the struggle of growing up with limited access to opportunities. 

It highlights the struggles of fixing your mind on survival, to finding an escape serendipitously, transforming not just his life but the lives of many others who have been deemed misfits. 

Let’s explore this story. 

Early Life and Family Background

Tunde Onakoya’s story begins in the dusty streets of Isale-Odo, Ikorodu, on the outskirts of Lagos, a place where dreams often danced beyond reach and childhoods were shaped more by necessity than opportunity. 

Born on October 6, 1994, Tunde’s early years were marked by hardship. Tunde’s father initially owned a danfo—a rickety yellow bus that typifies the Lagos public transport experience—which he drove and lent to other drivers. 

Occasionally, he worked as a conductor, but things became hard for them when the danfo developed countless mechanical problems and stopped becoming a source of income for the family.

Tunde’s mother worked as a petty trader, supporting the family with her little income as the family strived to survive. Tunde wasn’t the only child; he had a younger brother. 

Secondary School and Chess Discovery

Although Tunde completed primary school education despite his family’s struggles, secondary school education felt like a luxury. 

Tunde couldn’t go to secondary school because his younger brother was still in primary school, and his parents were too poor to afford both of their school fees. They also didn’t want Tunde to attend a public school as it was notorious for its poor standards and, most importantly, cultism. 

While his mates were in JSS2, Tunde was at home, and it was at this point that he found chess.

At his local barber’s shop, where he went to play PS1 (PlayStation One), Tunde noticed that his barber always brought out a chessboard to play with friends. 

On seeing the board and the chess pieces, Tunde instantly fell in love with the game. He begged the barber to teach him, but the barber ignored him. Eventually, Tunde learnt the rules of chess by watching the barber and his friends while they played.

Although Tunde was developing the foundations that would shoulder his chess journey, his mother grew tired of seeing him sitting at home idly without furthering his education. She approached an expensive school and offered to work for them while her son attended their school. The school agreed. 

Life in school was tough for Tunde as he could barely speak English due to his environment back at home, and how they mostly conversed in Yoruba. He eventually got used to the system as his classmates rubbed off on him. He also began to speak English fluently and started doing really well in school.

The school also had a chess club, which helped Tunde develop his chess skills. By JSS2, he won his first trophy in school after coming third in a chess tournament. This moment brought his father to tears as he was proud to see his son, who couldn’t speak English, win a chess tournament. 

Playing Chess Competitively

Tunde would go on to represent his secondary school in external tournaments, which exposed him to the world and brought him out of the slums of Ikorodu. He was also made the senior prefect in his final year in secondary school. 

Slowly, chess was changing his life. 

In his senior year, Tunde’s father sold his car so he [Tunde] could write his WAEC exams.  His mother, who had been working at the school for six years, resigned after his final paper. 

And then, reality hit again. After graduating from secondary school, Tunde couldn’t gain admission into a tertiary institution. 

For two years, he was at home while his mates furthered their education in local universities or moved abroad. He tried enrolling in the University of Lagos (UNILAG) but missed the school’s JAMB cutoff mark by one point.

Tunde describes not getting into UNILAG as one of his darkest moments. 

He tried again the next year, applying to Lagos State University (LASU), and he was successful, but life had other plans. In that session, LASU increased its school fees from 25,000 naira (~$120) to 250,000 naira (~$1,200). His parents couldn’t afford it, so he had to pass up that admission. 

At that point, everything looked bleak for Tunde. He gave up on school and chess, resenting the fact that his parents couldn’t do anything to help the situation. He started learning how to repair phones. 

How Yabatech Changed Everything

One day, Tunde’s mother came back home with a form from Yaba College of Technology (Yabatech)  and said one of her friends recommended the school to her. 

Initially, Tunde hated the idea and didn’t even listen to his mum. He, like most students who sneer at lower-level institutions, didn’t want to attend a polytechnic. But after much persistence and begging from his mother, he gave in and ended up going to Yabatech. 

It was here that his fortunes changed.

Tunde has already given up on chess as he was struggling to gain admission and make ends meet, but at Yabatech, his love for chess was revived. 

One day in uni, he was passing through the sports complex in Yabatech when he saw a chess room. Once again, Tunde was reminded of the game he once fell in love with. 

He made enquiries and became an active member of the chess group once again. He later joined the college team, and at this point, he stopped paying for his school fees and accommodation fees.

Tunde earned scholarships and obtained a diploma in computer science at Yabatech, where he became a gold medalist at the Nigeria Polytechnic Games and the RCCG Chess Championship.

You might be wondering how he got so good at chess. It’s quite simple. He was obsessed with the game. He lived, ate, slept, and dreamt of chess positions. His “clique” was made up of chess players, and they were always playing against each other. He played chess from morning till night, even missing classes and a few tests because of the game.

Chess also helped him academically. Chess sharpened Tunde’s eidetic memory so he could easily cram and pass his exams. It helped him survive school, as he wasn’t receiving allowances from his parents. He survived solely on his winnings from chess tournaments. At times, he gambled on chess games with rich men who came to Yabatech. 

Going National

Given his obsession with chess, Tunde was setting the pace in his school and in the country. He won the National Friends of Chess and the Chevron Chess Open, and in 2016, he was rated 13th in Nigeria with a FIDE peak rating of 2197.

For Tunde, chess was more than a competition; it changed how he saw himself. 

“Finding chess gave me something. It gave me an identity, an intellectual one, and it made me believe that I could also be intellectually inclined, and it made me believe that I could also be a thinker. That through just this game, I could find my place in the world again.” 

But at graduation, reality came back with a counterpunch. Things started getting weird again. 

Life After Yabatech 

After graduation, Tunde returned to Ikorodu because he couldn’t represent Yabatech in tournaments anymore. 

His parents moved to Ibadan, so he stayed with his brother in Ikorodu. He had a dream to become a grandmaster, but Chess wasn’t bringing enough money to pay the bills, let alone sponsor a grandmaster title, so he had to give up chess again. 

Tunde picked up teaching. He worked at a school where he was paid 6,000 naira (~$70), and he had to travel from Ikorodu to Mowe. Sometimes, he stayed at Mowe during the week, returning to Ikorodu on the weekend. 

After three months, Tunde couldn’t cope, so he quit the job. He began playing instruments like drums, guitar, and clarinet at churches for money. 

During this period, he got the idea to become a chess coach, and he discussed this idea with some of his friends who were also unemployed. They agreed to the idea, sent out proposals to primary and secondary schools, offering to teach the pupils and students chess.

Some of the schools agreed. Although the pay was not much to go by, to Tunde, it was a good place to start. He would go from Ikorodu to Abule Egba with his friends. 

Tunde and his friends continued this from 2016 to 2018, and along the way, he had experiences that made him feel chess wasn’t for him. 

One of his most embarrassing moments was the day his clique didn’t have enough transport fare after stopping at a buka (local restaurant) to eat. They had to ‘lap’ each other inside an auto rickshaw called Keke Napep, all dressed in suits! 

Although he felt fulfilled teaching the kids, he wasn’t earning enough. He stopped teaching chess in 2018 and was about to take a professional coding course when he had an eye-opening experience. 

The Birth of Chess in Slums Africa

One day after church, the people he played instruments with invited him to a place called Lungu, a slum community in Majidun. 

The men they met were thugs and cultists—hardcore guys with scars on their faces that told stories about their run-ins with the police or how they got shot. 

Right there, children were running around, watching their parents smoke Indian hemp or other narcotic concoctions. 

It wasn’t a conducive environment at all for kids. Most of them abandoned school and took up hawking to support their parents. This was the kind of environment that raised Victor Osimhen.

Looking around him, Tunde realised that these kids weren’t in the right environment, and if nothing was done about this, the kids would end up like their fathers. 

With these thoughts flowing through his mind, Tunde had an epiphany he couldn’t stop thinking about: what if he taught these kids chess?

It wasn’t long ago that he gave up teaching chess, but this was different. He felt drawn to this. 

Tunde started researching slum communities and development. He wanted to know how chess could help them. He felt he could show these kids the intellectual grounding that chess gave him. 

This gave birth to Chess in Slums Africa. 

Chess in Slums Africa: Early Struggles and Growth

In September 2018, Tunde Onakoya started Chess in Slums Africa as a volunteer-driven non-profit organisation. This organisation was created to educate and empower young children in impoverished communities through chess.

In the early days, much of the work was powered entirely by volunteers—friends, former teammates from Yaba College, and occasionally curious passersby who stopped by to see what was happening with cardboard boards on dusty ground. 

They dragged weathered chess pieces through the narrow alleys of Ikorodu, the rickety walkways of Makoko, and the roadside stalls of Majidun. Teaching might begin under a flickering streetlight or beneath a makeshift canopy, but it always infused hope and quiet determination into the children who gathered.

As the initiative gained momentum, funding became a problem. Tunde recalls going broke from buying snacks, chessboards, and transport fares. Tunde also wanted to give these kids a life beyond the chessboard. He wanted them to move from pawns to kings.

Tunde and his team pushed to find sponsorships, including engaging with philanthropic individuals and institutions willing to invest in a child’s potential. He began posting pictures on Twitter and Facebook, and with the power of storytelling, he captured the attention of netizens. People began to contribute, and more volunteers reached out. 

His posts garnered more attention, and with the power of social media, he reached a wider audience.

A Rare Opportunity with Chess.com

The first major leap came in September 2020, when Chess.com formally partnered with the initiative as an educational ally. The company gave the kids access to online tools, worldwide tournaments, and global mentorship for students who previously had no digital connectivity or exposure to organised chess learning. 

Soon after, ChessKid joined the effort. Then came a ground-breaking aviation partner: Lufthansa Airlines, which awarded a three-year grant to build a chess academy and STEM lab in Lagos. 

By December 2020, the initiative formed another significant alliance with The Gift of Chess, a New York–based nonprofit aiming to distribute one million chess sets globally by 2030. 

Tunde became a board member at The Gift of Chess, working with the organisation as the Director of Educational Outreach, extending chess-based education across more than 30 African countries, multiplying Chess in Slums Africa’s regional impact. 

While these successes were rolling in, personal stories also stood out. The story of Ferdinand, a child with cerebral palsy, took the internet by storm in June 2021. 

Ferdinand, a child who could barely speak English, was declared the 2021 chess champion of a tournament organised by Chess in Slums Africa. 

Initially, Ferdinand didn’t make it into any of Chess in Slums Africa’s programmes, but he refused to leave the venues, and eventually, they let him join the programme. 

He went on to top the group, winning the tournament, and for the first time, people were seeing an elite game quickly being adopted and celebrated among those considered lower class in society.

The story went viral. 

The Local Government Takes Notice

The real moment of acknowledgement, however, came when Ferdinand was invited to meet the Lagos State Governor. For a child from a slum, grappling with neurological challenges, this meeting was nothing short of monumental. 

He went from concrete pavements to standing before one of the most powerful officials in Nigeria, receiving praise not for pity but for genius. 

Tunde recalls that moment as one of the most powerful reinforcements that his dream of chess-driven empowerment was no longer hypothetical; it was palpably real.

By the end of 2021, Chess in Slums Africa had another viral story. An 18-year-old bus conductor, Fawaz Adeoye, won another tournament organised in Oshodi, a notorious location in Lagos. The winnings for the homeless conductor included a 2-million-naira (~$5000) prize. 

Chess in Slums Africa and Tunde Onakoya were now in the faces of Nigerians in the intellectual sphere. As Chess in Slums Africa got more recognition, so did Tunde. 

On the social media timelines, the streets of Lagos and different parts of the world talked about Tunde and wanted to associate with him. Tunde remembers when a police officer stopped him and said, “Ahh, you are Tunde, the chess guy.”

Gradually, Tunde was changing the narrative around Nigerian chess and slums. 

One of the turning moments for Tunde was the tournament organised under the bridge in Oshodi. After training the kids for seven months, he made them dress up in clean attire, rather than the rags they were used to, and as they strolled towards the muster point, the whole of Oshodi stood still. 

The bus drivers, market people, and passersby were stunned by the sights of these kids, whom they had once failed to pay attention to. 

As of early 2022, Chess in Slums Africa had impacted over 1,000 children, delivered more than 36,000 hours of chess training, awarded 200 academic scholarships (with 20 full, lifelong sponsorships), and even launched programs in Burkina Faso.

Through these feats, Tunde was setting the foundation for his next chapter, the Guinness World Record attempt in Times Square.

Guinness World Record Attempt (2024)

Due to his humanitarian work, Tunde had stopped playing chess or doing things for himself. He realised this after undergoing a hip replacement surgery the previous year. He was suffering from avascular necrosis in his hip region, and his hip had collapsed into his pelvis, which required surgery. 

In the months after the surgery, Tunde realised the world had moved on from him. He knew he had to find a way to make a name for himself outside Chess in Slums Africa. 

Months after the surgery, Tunde visited his friend Russell Makofsky in April 2024 after getting invited to speak at a conference. 

Russ, as Tunde calls him, is the founder of Gift of Chess, a global movement committed to transforming lives through the universal language of chess. 

Three days before Tunde was supposed to return to Nigeria, Russ told Tunde, “Let’s do something.” 

That “thing” was breaking the Guinness World Record for the most hours spent playing chess. 

The previous world record, recognised by Guinness World Records, was 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds, which was set by Norwegian duo Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad in 2018.

Tunde didn’t think they could break the record. Playing chess for over 56 hours, it felt like madness, but Russ believed. 

So, Tunde sent a deeply worded email to the Guinness World Record Team, explaining why he needed to break the world record and what it would mean to him. Usually, it takes about 12 weeks to get approval, but his email got approved within 24 hours.

The next challenge was getting a space in Times Square–one of the rowdiest tourist attractions in the world. 

Strength in Numbers

According to Tunde, booking a space at Times Square costs at least $50,000 (~75 million naira). 

Now, holding a space for three days, it felt like a pipe dream, but Tunde and Russ didn’t give up. They walked up to the Times Square Alliance office, hoping to plead their case, and fate gave them a lift. 

They met a woman who followed Tunde on LinkedIn, who helped them get the space. Fortunately for him, the period they booked for the world record attempt was the only time in the entire year when Times Square was free. 

Before the morning of the world record moment, Tunde felt a little ill. Could this be the end of the world record dream? Tunde had decided that if he didn’t get any better by the morning, he wouldn’t attempt the record. 

Looks like the universe listened once again. By morning, Tunde was a little better, and he pulled himself to Times Square, and he couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Nigerians had pulled up in their numbers, with flags and hearts full of support. This was bigger than him; he had to attempt the world record for these people. 

Just like that, Tunde began the slow grind to greatness, not only to break the world record but with hopes to raise $1 million for children’s education across Africa. 

Playing against Shawn Martinez, an American National Master, Tunde originally set out to play for 58 hours, with only five-minute breaks. 

The support was massive. People sang, danced, and cheered Tunde on. Supporters flew from other countries just to support him. Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore, 2023 presidential candidates, and music superstars Davido and Adekunle Gold were among those who showed up physically to cheer him on.

Peter Lot Egopija, Nigeria’s consul-general in New York City, was also at Times Square to see him. Nigeria’s vice president, Kashim Shettima, and Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-olu, showed their support for him through social media posts. 

Breaking the Record

In the first 20 hours, Tunde had raised $20,000. He kept playing until he set a new record of 60 hours. He simply couldn’t believe it. 

The people around him were elated. Tunde had caught the world’s attention, and congratulations started pouring in. Netizens celebrated him, and his pictures took over the timeline. 

Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu and other prominent dignitaries congratulated Onakoya. Global leaders celebrated his efforts. 

In that moment, Tunde was a hero not just for Chess in Slums Africa or for himself, but for Nigeria. He also raised an impressive sum of $120,000 from the $1 million target.

Partnerships and Opportunities After the Guinness World Record

Breaking the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon didn’t just cement Tunde Onakoya’s name in the history books; it opened doors to global platforms and powerful rooms. 

In the months that followed, he was invited to speak with organisations like the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and UNESCO, sharing his vision for using chess as a tool to fight poverty, inspire education, and empower underprivileged youth. 

He was conferred the Collective Action Award at The Future Awards Africa, recognising his role as a youth changemaker on the continent. 

World leaders, diplomats, and prominent figures in education and humanitarian work began to take notice. 

Speaking engagements at international conferences and high-level forums allowed him to amplify the Chess in Slums Africa story to audiences that could help scale the mission even further. 

However, Tunde’s journey after the record also came with an unexpected twist. Two months after setting a new record, it was broken by Norwegian chess duo Odin Blikra Vea and Askild Bryn, who set a new record at 61 hours, 3 minutes, and 34 seconds. 

For Tunde, this meant a new challenge, and true to his relentless spirit, he didn’t shy away from the setback. This time, he prepared and strategised to go big and reclaim the title. 

Guinness World Record 2.0

In April 2025, Tunde returned with Shawn Martinez to reclaim his place in history. This time, the challenge was bigger; they were gunning for 64 hours. Having gone through the process before, Tunde knew what to expect when playing chess nonstop for long hours.

With millions all over the world watching, Tunde knew this was his moment, and after 64 hours, his efforts paid off. Officially certified by Guinness World Records, Onakoya and Martinez reclaimed the title, setting a new benchmark in chess endurance. 

The achievement was celebrated not just as a personal victory, but as a symbolic statement: that setbacks are not endpoints, but opportunities to rise higher.

The 64 hours represented the 64 squares on the chessboard, which emphasises Chess in Slums Africa’s mission to reshape the narrative of the African child and tell a new story of hope and possibility.

For Tunde, it wasn’t about the record but making sure that no child’s potential goes to waste simply because of where they were born.

Beyond the Guinness World Record

Tunde has continued expanding Chess in Slums Africa by taking the message to other slums in and outside Lagos. Chess in Slums Africa has provided shelter and education for a good number of students. 

In his role as Director of Educational Outreach for The Gift of Chess, he has helped deliver chess sets and programming to over 30 African countries. 

Together, they distributed over 132,000 chess sets, reaching refugee camps, orphanages, schools in rural villages, and underserved urban zones in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Egypt, Ghana, and more. 

Chess in Slums Africa organised local and international tournaments, which gave the kids exposure to a world they never thought they would ever experience. 

One of such tournaments was the Ubuntu Cultural Exchange Programme in Athens, Georgia, where Tunde selected a five-man team to represent Nigeria at the 12th Annual Chess and Community Conference. 

This tournament exposed the world to kids like Mary Zira and Ivie Urueto, who won silver medals at the game and $100 cash prizes. 

The Ubuntu Cultural Exchange Programme also amplified the story of Jamiu Ninilowo, a boy who was once overlooked after his mother died in the slums of Lagos. 

Through chess, Jamiu found a way to overcome the limitations of the society around him. In a tournament at the Chess & Community Conference, Jamiu won a scholarship and earned a gold medal for being undefeated.

For Tunde, being more than “the Chess in Slums guy” meant getting back to playing chess. He played simultaneous games with kids and participants of Chess in Slums Africa programmes during a fundraiser with Chess.com. 

This Saturday, I’ll be playing a simultaneous chess exhibition match against 20 people at the Lux Afrique Polo event in the UK 🇬🇧.

Anyone that beats me gets a free Adire Chess board, but if you lose, you have to buy one. Proceeds go towards charity. pic.twitter.com/2y5vxxC9XV

— Tunde Onakoya (@Tunde_OD) July 24, 2025

He had a viral moment in Germany, where he played 10 simultaneous games, winning every single one. Although most of his opponents were non-titled players, his confidence and ability to compete simultaneously earned him more respect. 

The Political Misstep

On June 10, 2025, photos of Tunde Onakoya meeting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos splashed across social media. Tinubu posted that he’d received the “founder of Chess in Slums Africa” and praised a journey “from the streets of Lagos to uplifting underserved children.” 

At the same time, Tunde shared that he was “honoured to have been graciously received” while presenting his Guinness World Records certificate and a custom-made Adire chessboard.

 While to Tunde, the visit was a courtesy and a means to increase visibility for his cause, for many Nigerians, it felt like a political endorsement. 

Nigeria, at the moment, has been politically polarised, and by taking a picture with the president, one who many Nigerians saw as “the enemy” and the reason many of the kids Tunde was helping were in the slums in the first place, it felt like he was dancing with the devil. 

Many argued that he was rubbing his good work in the mud by posing with the president. Critics called him a sellout, stating that he betrayed the very fabric of his life’s work. The backlash was immediate and fierce.

And some of it was justified. 

Lagos state has been at the epicenter of two major political incidents that shaped the current state of Nigeria. One is the 2020 Lekki Toll Gate Massacre—a toll gate that symbolizes the current president’s tenure as Lagos state governor. The second was the fraudulent 2023 election results that got him into power. 

Another common critique is that the president’s long tenure as Lagos state governor basically enabled the slum-like living conditions of the kids Tunde was trying to help currently. People felt the irony was lost on Tunde, but not on anyone else.

I refuse to accept. This is, and can, never be a good look. Not in a million years.

Nigeria is where it is today because 9 out of 10 Tundes would do exactly this if they were in his position.

It is not a virtue as a nation. It is a vice. It is lack of principles. (And for… pic.twitter.com/TdLEGsXxd7

— Biggest Mack (@Big_Mck) June 11, 2025

At the same time, partisan actors jumped on the opportunity to smear Tunde’s integrity. The backlash was an unfortunate reminder of how deeply tribalism and partisan loyalty have clouded Nigeria’s collective sense of patriotism. 

While it may have looked like political alignment, it was a civic interaction with the nation’s Commander-in-Chief. But at what point does civic interaction come in direct conflict with a just cause? Only mindreaders know the answer.

In response to the backlash, Tunde responded by stating, “I have no interest in partisan politics. Visiting the President is not a crime.” This message was also parroted by supporters of the current president, who also followed blind tribal loyalty in defense of “their guy”.

I’ll say a few things…

1. The anger, the hate, the love, the applause, the criticism, all of it is valid and I embrace it.
2. I am a world record holder which means I have attained something no one else in the world has ever done. I was recently honored and awarded by the city…

— Tunde Onakoya (@Tunde_OD) June 11, 2025

In a statement posted on his X handle, Tunde addressed those who have praised him as well as the people who have criticized and condemned him. He also mentioned that he had no intention of participating in partisan politics, adding that if that ever changes, he would step down as CEO of Chess in Slums Africa.

He also pushed back against the claim that his project only thrives because of poor governance. According to him, Chess in Slums is not a charity but a strategic intervention using chess to help children develop thinking skills and access real education, formal or vocational.

He also added that he will continue to partner with the government to impact the lives of the beneficiaries of the Chess in Slums initiative.

“Our collective hurt is valid, and we may disagree on politics, but there are actual lives at stake, and we all have a role to play in whatever capacity to stop this hemorrhage. My fight is different. I’m not on the fence. I took a stand ten years ago for the country I want to see.”

Although his statement should’ve quelled the fire, it kept people raging. His statement made media rounds while tweeps drew a correlation to his red and black ants quote. 

“I am a world record holder” better shut up and delete this foolish nonsense you have no integrity Tunde Onakoya zero integrity, you are not a world record holder you are double standard hypocrite of an individual all this rubbish you typed here is all shame on you till tomorrow…

— WarepamorSammy (@Warepamorsammy) June 12, 2025

In all of this, Tunde reaffirmed his resolve; he wasn’t endorsing anyone. He was and still is fighting for the kids, and no matter where his vision takes him, he would always put the kids first.

What is Tunde’s Next Move?

If there’s a single sentence that sums up Tunde Onakoya’s journey, it’s the mantra he repeats across talks and timelines: “It is possible to do great things from a small place.” 

He’s posted it himself and it has been quoted back to him, especially during his Times Square marathons. The line now functions as both biography and blueprint.

That mantra matters because of his dual identity. On one side, Tunde is “the man behind the board,” the kid from Ikorodu who found an intellectual identity through chess. In his own words, discovering the game gave him an “intellectual” self and a place in the world. 

On the other side, he’s the face of a nonprofit that turned chess into a social-mobility engine, training children, placing hundreds into school through scholarships, and giving underprivileged and overlooked kids a chance to change their story. 

From the slums of Ikorodu to capturing the world’s attention at Times Square, Tunde is changing the world around him one step at a time, and he’s not resting on his laurels. 

He wants to show the world at every given opportunity that you can do great things from a small place, even if it means standing with government officials or playing 10 people simultaneously at Cambridge or Germany.