Chess champion Tunde Onakoya has kept his promise to sponsor the education of an 11-year-old girl who was seen in a viral video sweeping alongside her mother.
Onakoya shared a photo of the girl and her parents on his X account late Tuesday, writing: “As promised, the young girl visited our Chess Innovation hub with her parents and has now been placed on a full ride Educational scholarship till she’s done with University.”
The video, which went viral in April, showed activist Adetoun confronting the girl’s mother and accusing her of child labour.
The footage sparked widespread outrage online, with many social media users condemning the situation.
However, Onakoya called for empathy instead of condemnation. Drawing from his own past, the Guinness World Record holder revealed that in 2016, he and his mother resorted to sweeping houses and gutters to survive.
“I didn’t want anyone to see us,” he wrote on X. “The poverty that pushes one to hide their labour in the dark is a painful one.”
While acknowledging that no child should have to work at such a young age, Onakoya stressed the need to offer help and hope. He said his decision to fund the girl’s education up to university level was aimed at easing her family’s burden and giving the child a better future.
