Tunde Onakoya, the 29-year-old Nigerian Chess Master who has just broken the World Record for the longest chess marathon is most appropriately an embodiment of the Nigerian can-do spirit, the capacity of the average Nigerian to snatch victory from the depths of despair, indeed just when you think it is over, the Nigerian is so resilient, he keeps foraging for faith.  Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised Onakoya’s audacity. He has been hailed as a worthy ambassador, in whom the spirit of excellence flowers by Vice President Kashim Shettima, former Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu. He has done well. He is doing well. Nigerians have every reason to be proud of him. He has demonstrated that the true Nigerians are not those who bemoan their fate and resort to the antics of the lower depths, but those who turn even the smallest of opportunities that come their way into an avenue for glorious achievement with determination and hardwork. 

And so it is with Tunde Onakoya, who played chess from Wed, April 17, 2024 till Saturday, April 21 (2. 40 a.m.), to beat the world record of 56 hours, 9 minutes and 37 seconds set in 2018 by two Norwegians – Hallvard Flatebo and Sjur Ferkingstad. Tunde Onakoya teamed up with the American Chess Master, Shawn Martinez, to play chess for 60 hours non-stop. He was unbeaten in more than 170 games.  The World Guinness Book of Records organization requires for its purpose two players, playing against each other and others, with short breaks of five minutes for every hour or a longer 30-minute break every six hours. The new record is yet to be officially announced, this may take a few weeks, but Onakoya’s feat was not hidden- it was in the open, at the Times Square in New York, with spectators watching every move on the board of play. History has been made and it has come from the most unlikely place for Nigeria – chess, in a country that often fails to pay attention to other sports. Onakoya himself alluded to this when he said that “it is possible to do great things from a small place.” 

Indeed, it is possible for small things and small places to result in significant human experience of great proportions as we have seen in that novel titled “The God of Small Things” (1997) by Indian writer, Arundhati Roy, and the 2008 British movie, “Slumdog Millionaire” set in Mumbai. The idea of the slum as place and metaphor is a strong referent in Nigerian popular imagination more so the fact that great things do happen in small places. It is not the smallness of things that matter but the greatness, the humanity that is embedded in the most unthinkable places. Ajegunle, for example, is a slum neighbourhood in the city of Lagos: it is probably the most popular location for most of the creative outputs in the country, the source of the music of contemporary artistic talents such as Daddy Fresh, Daddy Showkey, Baba Fryo, Oritsefemi, Nico Gravity, Father U-Turn, Don Jazzy, Basket Mouth, KC Presh and the artistry of some of Nigeria’s well-known footballers – Peter Rufai, Taribo West, Samson Siasia, Victor Agali, Emmanuel Amunike, Odion Ighalo. The slum as an incubation hub for talent and innovation is a fascinating subject for further inquiry into the interconnectedness of space, spirit and effort.

Tunde Onakoya, the chess-master, it must be noted, learnt to play chess in a slum in Ikorodu, Lagos State, precisely at a barber’s shop. Now something about the barber’s shop is that it is a very traditional meeting point in communities in parts of Nigeria, very much like the newspaper stands of old which produced “Free Newspaper Readers Associations” across the country. The barber’s shop was an ecosystem for games. While you waited to have your hair cut, or you just happen to show up as a spectator, you were bound to see people playing draught, chess, ludo, card, snake and ladder, or the more local, ayo game. Somewhere in a corner would be a board displaying all the possible hair styles: “Girls Follow Me”; “Rico Bay”, “Gorimapa”, but over the years, the haircut styles became trendier: “Line Up”, “Waves”, “Twisted Curls”, “Afro”.  The barber has always been a wise man: he attracts customers and company with games and music. I know one person who shall remain nameless, a veteran of the barber’s shop ayo games of old, who went on to become a Governor and an elder statesman. The same ecosystem has now produced a World Champion in Chess. 

The good news about Tunde Onakoya is his kindness and the fact that he never forgot his humble beginnings. He kept playing chess, and ended up as the Number 13 Chess player in Nigeria. As a student at the Yaba College of Technology, he won prizes playing chess. He is also a board member of The Gift of Chess, a non-profit in New York, United States. In 2018, he established a volunteer non-profit group known as Chess in Slums Africa under the auspices of which he trained young persons, mostly from the slums like Makoko in Lagos, and through partnerships, the group promoted chess as an educational tool. By 2021, Chess in Africa Slums had trained over 1,000 children, and organized chess competitions that even produced a 10-year-old-boy with cerebral palsy as a chess champion. One of his students once defeated the acting Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Kevin Tokar in a chess exhibition game. He plans to train over one million children within the next five years. Onakoya has pursued his passion further by seeking to break the extant Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon, not for personal glory, but to raise US One million dollars for the education of children in Africa, and to build a free chess academy and a STEM innovation lab in Lagos. He may not have immediately achieved the $1million mark, but he has given more popularity to chess, and provided an opportunity for the appreciation of the Nigerian spirit. While the marathon happened, many Nigerians trooped to New York Times Square to cheer him on. The cheer leaders included music stars, Davido and Adekunle Gold, drummers, and Nigerians in Diaspora in general who counted the hours and were inspired by the enthusiasm of being Nigerian, witnessing the possibility of another Nigerian making history. The weather was wintry cold, but it did not matter. During the intervals, the Nigerians played music and danced. It was no longer just chess, but culture, nationalism, art and diasporic fraternity all rolled into one capsule, to create memories and history.   

This trope, for me, was strongly captured in Tunde Onakoya’s post-victory statement on his X handle (@Tunde_OD) when he wrote as follows: “Catching up on social media now and I’ve constantly fought back tears. Love you guys very much. I’ll do a proper post when I find the right words to express all of the emotions I feel right now. Let me delve into this Jollof rice for now. It’s my first meal in almost four days. I had some food poisoning during the marathon so I couldn’t eat anything at all. Just water.” Such endurance. Such patriotism. Onakoya was advised to discontinue the marathon when he developed stomach problems, but he insisted he would see the mission to the end, and he did. He didn’t eat for four days.  “Just water.”  He refused to quit on the kids. This is the stuff of endurance and determination. And when the goal had been reached and victory secured, his first meal was Jollof Rice. Those who know would proclaim the symbolism of the choice of jollof rice. It is a subtle way of flying the Nigerian flag.  Jollof rice is a special delicacy for Nigerians and the argument has not yet been resolved about which country cooks the best jollof rice in West Africa, between Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal. Onakoya has projected Nigerian Jollof Rice, as the choice brand by announcing it as his first meal after his victory at a Marathon. May the God of Nigerian Jollof Rice continue to bless him! 

But I suppose the more important thing about the euphoria would be the lessons that we can learn from his example. He is a young man of 29, who has never seen what a silver spoon looks like, but with the talent that God has given him, he has tried to help encourage and assist street children and the underprivileged to give them hope. Many Nigerian leaders who have been wielding stolen silver spoons have no vision of doing anything for anybody. It is always about their self-interest, and not public interest and it is the reason there is so much angst and despair in the land, and so much lack of trust between Nigerian leaders and the people. We need leaders, including those who are products of privilege to learn to commit to the common good, not their own ego and insecurities. It is encouraging that Nigerian leaders including the President are full of praise for Tunde Onakoya. It is people like him that should be on the next National Honours List of Nigeria, not the money-miss-road, chieftaincy title crowd. Every year, we miss out most people who are true ambassadors for our nation and give big honours to the most undeserving. President Tinubu must reverse that ugly trend.  

Meanwhile, Tunde Onakoya is the latest Nigerian to seek and emerge, pending confirmation, as a Guinness Book World Record holder. The frenzy would seem to have hit the roof when Ms Hilda Effiong Bassey, Hilda Baci for short, won a marathon cooking record with 93 hours and 11 minutes in May 2023. Her record was surpassed later that same year by Irish chef Alan Fisher but her feat ignited a World Record fever in Nigeria, the imprint of which continues to endure. Nigerians love opportunities. When they identify one, or someone points them in a direction, they would rush as if they were competing for gold. Hilda Baci became an instant celebrity: receptions were organized for her by governments and companies, she got plots of land and many gifts, she became an actress, and with her beauty and culinary skills, she became the darling of suitors and men who ogled her pictures. The Madonna University graduate had done everyone so proud that many Nigerians actually wanted to cook too. Less than a month after her victory, one Chef Dammy of Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State entered the kitchen in search of a Guinness World Record that would beat Baci’s record. In Ondo State, there was a Chef Deo who wanted to cook for 150 hours.  In Oyo State, there was Chef Adebayo, a 140-hour aspirant. There have been other attempts as well. A computer Science lecturer, Joshua Hassan Bature of the Department of Computer Science, Federal University of Technology, Ado Ekiti reportedly announced a 150-hour teaching marathon.  

There was also Alejo Pataki who announced a 200-hour singing marathon. In Ekiti State, one Sugartee proposed a kissing marathon – kiss-a-thon.  He ended up not kissing anybody, but Sugartee generated some interest and even got invited to Government House! One Joyce Ijeoma embarked on a body massaging Marathon. She collapsed in the process.  In more recent cases, there is Zahan Isaac Kuma (aka Mr. Reliable) who wants to do a marathon Ironing Festival in pursuit of a Guinness World Record (23 – 28 April, 2024) in Abuja at the Jabi Lake Mall, he says - “for the sake of that little child on the street.”  When. Mr. Reliable appeared on The Morning Show of Arise News yesterday, I had asked him questions about electricity supply – availability and cost - considering the fact that the Jabi Lake Mall is a Band A location on the electricity spectrum. He sounded upbeat and confident. He said people should bring their clothes for ironing. I pray he does not burn anybody’s cloth, just in case he gets tired or there is a power surge -because that could add a new twist to the story.     

What is noteworthy is that the attempts by Nigerians have inspired others across the border in Ghana and also in Cameroon, where one lady said she wanted a sex-a-thon – sex with strong men for 200 hours. Imagine! 

Tunde Onakoya sets a different example and represents a far more ennobling engagement. The Nigerian government should through his Times Square outing see that chess has the potential of becoming an important sport in Nigeria and thereby make the necessary effort to promote it in the country. Onakoya was raised in a slum in Ikorodu, now he is in New York, jollofing! The first time he boarded a plane and travelled abroad was only about two years ago. Now his story is on every major news channel in the world, and the front pages of newspapers, all because he started playing chess in one small place on the map called Ikorodu, and turned it into a life-long passion.  Truly, “it is possible to do great things from a small place” – an inspiration for every young person out there in search of meaning and purpose.  Congratulations, Tunde Onakoya and to everyone who supported him along the way, well done. 

Dangote refinery will start supplying petrol in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to Standard and Poor’s’ Global Commodities, S & P.

Kelly Norways, an African energy expert at the S&P, disclosed this in a podcast titled ‘Exploring West Africa’s oil product flows in a changing refining landscape’.

She said the Dangote refinery will significantly reduce energy imports across the West African sub-region, putting the figure for petrol as much as 290,000 barrels daily from 2024 to 2026.

“We are starting to see signs of activities, but all eyes are on when we’ll start to see gasoline production commence from that project. There is significant pressure from the Nigerian government for significant volume of that supply to be sent to the domestic market.

“When we see that start scale-up is still subject to debate. Dangote has recently been espousing some punchy timelines. They have most recently been saying that they are looking to produce gasoline by May. But in reality, our analysts expect that would be something like the fourth quarter of this year in a more realistic timeline,” he said.

The Dangote refinery was officially commissioned in May 2023 but has been unable to operate at full capacity. However, it began receiving crude oil around December and finally started distributing diesel to marketers in the local market in March.

Last week, the refinery announced the reduction in diesel price to N1,000 per litre from N1,600 per litre price.

Meanwhile, the Dangote refinery and oil marketers have hinted at the commencement of petrol sales next month.

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has described state police as a non-negotiable entity that Nigeria must establish.

Dr Jonathan, who was president from 2010-2015, said the conversation must shift to the prevention of abuse by governors.

He stated this on Monday at the ongoing dialogue on state police organized by the House of Representatives.

He said most times governors abuse institutions, however, the challenges are not sufficient to stop the creation of state police.

The former president said state police was wildly accepted by the delegates at the 2014 Confab.

“We can only end kidnapping and other forms of insecurity through the creation of state police,” Dr Jonathan said.

Mr Jonathan’s stance contradicts the position of the inspector general of police, Kayode Egbetokun, who opposed the establishment of state police.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Deputy Speaker of the House, Ben Kalu argued that the current security situation in Nigeria requires a multilayer approach to insecurity.

He stated that over N5 billion has been paid in ransoms to kidnappers, a figure that starkly exposes the alarming growth of this criminal enterprise in the country.

The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun believes the country is not “mature” for state policing despite the myriad of security challenges facing it. 

He spoke on Monday during a national dialogue on state police held in Abuja with the theme ‘Pathways to Peace: Reimagining Policing in Nigeria’.

“On the issue of state police, it is the submission of the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) that Nigeria is not yet mature and ready for the establishment of state-controlled police,” the IGP, represented by AIG Ben Okolo, said at the event organised by the Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas.

The IGP argued among other factors, that “there is the potential for abuse of power by the state political leadership.

“State governors could use the police forces under their control for political or personal gain and undermine human rights and security.

“There would also be a conflict of jurisdiction,” he said.

But he suggested other things to make the police better in securing the country.

“First, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Federal Road Safety to form a department under the Nigerian police,” he said.

According to the police chief, there is also a need to ramp up the yearly recruitment of officers. This, in addition to more training for police personnel among others, are essential to securing Nigeria.

At the event attended by several top shots in the country, former president Goodluck Jonathan, however, believes that despite the challenges, state police has become “non-negotiable”.

He said the spite of kidnapping and other crimes make state police a must-have in present-day Nigeria.

Apart from Jonathan, the event also had Vice President Kashim Shettima in attendance and he expressed President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to building a better police force for the country.

He said his principal is ready to listen to submissions from the national dialogue.

The National Security Adviser, Mr Nuhu Ribadu has said Nigeria has resumed the prosecution of Boko Haram terrorists.

He stated this on Monday while giving his speech at the African Counter-Terrorism meeting in Abuja, which has President Bola Tinubu in attendance.

The two-day high-level summit is being held under the theme ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism’.

The objective of the summit is to enhance multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and reshape the international community’s collective response to terrorism in Africa, while emphasizing the importance of African-led and African-owned solutions.

The summit will provide a platform to review the nature and severity of the threat of terrorism on the continent, with a view to agreeing on concrete strategic priorities and measures to address this scourge. It will also foster deeper regional collaboration, enhancing the institutional capacity of member states and facilitating the exchange of best practices and knowledge to combat the multifaceted threat of terrorism in Africa.

Heads of state and government and high-level government officials across Africa, representatives of international organizations and multilateral institutions, members of the diplomatic corps, and members of civil society groups are expected to attend the summit.

An All Progressives Congress, APC, Ondo governorship aspirant, Wale Akinterinwa, has accused Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State and Chairman of the party’s primary election committee of writing results.

He said the party did not conduct any primary election in all the 203 Wards of the state.

Ododo had announced the state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the governorship candidate of the party after polling the highest votes at the primary election.

However, Akinterinwa described the APC’s primary election in the state as a show of shame.

The aspirant’s stance was contained in a statement signed by his campaign organisation spokesperson, Mr Segun Ajiboye.

According to the statement: “Without any fear of contradiction, we state here that no election was held in any part of Ondo on Saturday to elect the candidate of the APC.

“It is on record with incontrovertible evidence that nothing in the semblance of a primary election was held in all the 203 wards in Ondo.

“At best, what can be said to have happened was that the committee chairman, Gov. Ododo, arrived in the state at about 8 am on Saturday to write the result of an election that was never conducted.

“Saturday’s election presented our dear party with a rare opportunity to endear itself to the people of the state.

“All that was needed was for us to organise an election that would be hailed by all, even the opposition.”

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is advocating for the incorporation of punitive measures into the Minimum Wage Act to address non-compliance by state governors and local government administrators.

This push for stricter enforcement comes amid ongoing challenges with the implementation of the current minimum wage across various states.

Ambali emphasized the necessity of such sanctions to ensure compliance and protect workers’ rights across Nigeria.

The move by the NLC coincides with the scheduled meeting of the 37-member committee established by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to discuss the new minimum wage.

This panel, inaugurated on January 30, 2024, by Vice-president Kashim Shettima, includes representatives from federal and state governments, the private sector, and organized labor.

The committee’s task is to deliberate on findings from various sub-committees across the six geopolitical zones and formulate recommendations for a revised national minimum wage.

As discussions are set to proceed this week, the inclusion of penalties in the wage legislation will be a critical point of debate, aimed at fostering greater accountability and ensuring that all Nigerian workers benefit from fair labor practices and wage standards.

Ambali said, “When we look at the purchasing power in Nigeria, we can see a huge difference between 2019 and now. With the stoppage of the payment of the fuel subsidy, we can see an increase in the hardship of Nigerians.

“In the new minimum wage bill which will soon be signed into law by the President, we have put in some internal clauses to make it difficult for governors not to pay the new minimum wage. It is also good to know that some of the governors are also involved in the negotiation process.

“Labour itself has to be responsive. Once the National Minimum Wage Bill is signed into law juxtaposed with Labour’s responsiveness, we know they will pay. As you can see,0 even private companies have started increasing the salaries of workers and some of them are even paying wage awards for their workers.

“So in the bill, the clause involves sanctions and also talks about increased allocation to local governments so that nobody will have any excuse of not paying the approved rate.”

Meanwhile, the 37-member Tripartite Committee on Minimum Wage appointed by the Federal Government will hold a meeting this week to debate proposals by stakeholders on the new minimum wage.

An executive bill is also expected to be sent to the National Assembly as a form of amendment to the current Minimum Wage Act.

The minimum wage to be unveiled is expected to cushion the effects of the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit.

During the public hearings, different zones suggested different amounts for minimum wage. The South-West zone suggested N794,000; the North -East proposed the sum of N560,000 as minimum wage; North- West proposed N485,000; The North-Central proposed N709,000; the South-South demanded N850,000 while the South -East demanded N540,000.

Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage has said despite the “crazy” nature of men, women can’t do without them.

Savage, who recently released a collaborative song with Simi titled ‘Men Are Crazy,’ said she relished working with the ‘Duduke’ crooner.

Speaking recently on MTV Live, she described their collaboration as “magical” as she noted that Simi is “a queen in Afrobeats”.

She said, “My collaboration with Simi is titled ‘Men Are Crazy But I Still Want One In My Bed.’ The inspiration behind it is that men are crazy but we can’t do without them.

“Simi is somebody that I’ve always wanted to work with. She is a queen in Afrobeats so both of us coming together in such an amazing track is magical.”

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has tackled the Federal Government over the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project. 

Obi expressed his concern in a statement via his verified X handle on Monday.

According to him, there is a pressing issue of numerous uncompleted roads scattered across the country, many of which, according to him, have become hazardous death traps and security risks. 

He maintained that embarking on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years will only worsen the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development. 

Obi suggested that given the state of the nation’s economy, prioritization and fiscal discipline should be the critical guiding principles, insisting that the project will worsen the already sagging debt burden.

The former Anambra State governor said most of those uncompleted roads have been under construction for several years and are unlikely to be completed any time soon due to poor and unplanned funding.

He said,“I have closely followed the comments and developments arising from the coastal (Lagos-Calabar) Super highway Project.

“While I’m hesitant to engage in contentious debates about its benefits, which I acknowledge, and the pricing, which I have serious concerns about, and believe should be thoroughly reviewed, I am compelled to raise essential questions about the timing and prioritization of such a monumental venture.

“At the forefront of my concerns is the pressing issue of numerous uncompleted roads scattered across the country, many of which have become hazardous death traps and security risks.

“It is disheartening to witness the plight of innocent Nigerians who traverse these dilapidated roads under perilous conditions, vulnerable to kidnappers and other dangers.

“Most of these roads, vital for economic growth, regional connectivity, and overall development, have been under construction for several years if not decades now and are unlikely to be completed any time soon due to poor and unplanned funding.

“The Federal Ministry of Works 2024 capital budget of N892,461,262,656.00, additional funding from multilateral loan projects of N94,828,535,243.00, alongside other expected contributions from sources like the China-Exim Bank and the World Bank, will not be enough for serious work on all the critical roads, some of which I enumerated above, let alone their completion.

“So, why embark on another huge project that will not be completed in the next 20 or 30 years? To do so will only exacerbate the problem of abandoned, uncompleted projects that are not contributing to economic growth and overall development.

“It will merely worsen our already sagging debt burden. Given the state of our economy now, prioritization and fiscal discipline should be our critical guiding principles now.

“Therefore, while acknowledging the potential benefits of coastal superhighway infrastructure, I urge prioritization of our existing uncompleted projects.

“We must allocate resources towards repairing and completing existing infrastructure, crucial for the well-being and safety of our society, before embarking on new projects, no matter their perceived benefits.

“Let’s prioritize the urgent needs of our people and ensure that our investments serve the collective good of the nation.

“In any development formula, the primary focus should be on completing and rehabilitating existing infrastructure rather than embarking on colossal new projects that may never reach completion within the next 30 years.”