24 million naira has been raised so far for a Nigerian boy whose talent is in playing the age old game of chess.
Meet Tanitiolowa, an eight year old Nigerian boy whose family fled Nigeria in 2017 to seek Asylum in the united states because of the Boko Haram crisis.
The child prodigy won his category at the New York state chess championship last week and now he has become a global sensation..
Yes!
Chess is going Viral
I knew this day would come
You see, chess is not just a game
It’s a skill
A skill of patience
A skill of execution
A skill of confidence.
A critical thinking skill that will be relevant throughout our existence.
During Tanitioluwa’s audio interview, he mentioned that he loves chess because it is a “thinking game”..
A game that gets an eight year old child to sit down for two hours while working his way through a plethora of possible moves simply has to be more than a game!
One of the most beautiful things about the game of chess is that it creates a lot of teachable moments.
It is in these moments that we learn most of the things that leave the biggest impressions on our lives. These unforgettable moments are forever etched in our hearts and they stay with us for the rest of our lives.
Think about some of those things you had to learn the hard way but they eventually become defining moments in your life.
This is how chess works!
It teaches that there’s always a reward for hardwork, and however the game turns out, it will always be a direct consequence of the decisions (moves) you make during the game.
In chess you can’t hope for the best because
Hope is not a strategy.
Be deliberate about everything you do today if you want to create a life of incredible moments..
And for those that are more concerned about the falseness of the Boko Haram story, I’ll say this……Find your own path to greatness.
The black man is sometimes always too quick to tear down his own, while the white man has chosen to celebrate the star in this child..
Our National under ten champion Ekunke Goodness I’m sure is equally talented and can hold his own against any master chess player in the country… but close to nothing has been done to support this boy despite the fact that he has won several national tournaments.
Tanitioluwa’s Family have their immigration court hearing in August and guess what will come out of that?
They’ll get to stay in the United states for good!
This is because this boy has become an Asset and no one let’s go of an Asset.
God bless his mum for enrolling him in that chess club.
It was the best decision they ever made for the future of Tanitioluwa without even knowing it.
He just saved his family
He just saved his own life
Despite the great odds they faced ,he never lost sight of excellence.
He is a true champion and an inspiration.
It’s never too late to learn how to play chess and if you think you don’t have the time, enrol your kids or your younger siblings to learn this game of life.
I will share the story of this boy with our kids that we train in the slums.
This I’m sure will greatly motivate them to keep aspiring to be the best.
To know that they are relevant.
To know that the world is ready to tell their own tales of greatness too.
Chess can truly change the world.
Gens una sumus
Tunde Onakoya.
Original post link from the NY times here.
