Tunde Onakoya’s story just hit every nerve in the heart ❤️💔
The Chess-in-Slums founder took to social media to share an incredibly emotional and inspiring update about two brothers he adopted after their mother tragically passed.
Back in 2018, Tunde met Jamiu—a bright, curious boy working as a roadside mechanic in Majidun, Ikorodu. He invited Jamiu and his younger brother, Ayomide, to his weekend chess academy. When he met their mother, a beautiful woman with the kindest smile, she was living in a shed and had lost her leg in a dump site accident while scavenging for plastic to feed her kids. Abandoned by their father and living in heartbreaking conditions, their story moved Tunde deeply.
He wrote;
‘’Today, my heart is overwhelmed with a joy words can barely hold. I think the time is finally right to share this story…
In 2019, their mother, on her deathbed, made Tunde promise to care for her sons. She passed two weeks later. And just like that, he became more than a mentor—he became their father.
Fast forward to now: Jamiu just won the ICN Chess Championship in New York, beating over 200 rated players and earning a $500 scholarship. He’s now in university. Ayomide is a rising track star finishing high school.
From the slums of Ikorodu to America—this is what it means to bet on love, mentorship, and second chances.
Mama Jamiu, your boys are doing well. I kept my promise. I always will.”
