By The 2025 Ecobank National Schools’ Team Chess Championship saw chess grandmaster and youth advocate, Tunde Onakoya deliver a simple but powerful message to young players, reminding them to see their background not as a barrier, but as a foundation for greatness.
The tournament drew 1,830 students from 366 schools across Nigeria, making it one of the largest interschool chess events in the country.
As part of his visit on the first day, Onakoya observed several matches and spent time engaging directly with primary school children, shaking hands, offering words of encouragement and posing for photos.
With each interaction, he reminded them that success and brilliance are always within reach, regardless of background.
Speaking with students of Jareb Private school, the team that won the first-place trophy and a N2 million prize in the primary school category, Onakoya who had observed their game strategy congratulated them and encouraged them, reminding them that every individual can Go Make A Difference irrespective of their background.
“All of you are very talented. I’m very proud of you,” he said. “It doesn’t matter where you’re from. You can be the best if you work hard. Even in your academics, whatever you do. Don’t let anyone tell you that because you’re from somewhere, you can’t be the best. You’ve just beaten a thousand kids. Well done.”
Onakoya’s presence at the championship wasn’t just ceremonial. It was a living extension of his work, both as founder of Chess in Slums Africa, where he uses chess to reach and uplift children in underserved communities, and as the face of MTN’s Go M.A.D (Make A Difference) campaign.
Launched in January, the Go M.A.D campaign leans into Tunde’s own story, growing up with limited resources, yet using chess as a way out and a way forward.
The campaign doesn’t just celebrate success; it champions effort, strategy, and self-belief. By spotlighting stories like Tunde’s, MTN aims to show that making a difference isn’t about where you start, it’s about where you choose to go.
Tunde’s work with Chess in Slums has already impacted many children, showing how a simple board game can be a tool for mental discipline, academic confidence, and hope.
His presence at the championship served as a full-circle moment: proof that young kids with big dreams and small chances can grow into leaders, mentors, and even world record-holders.
Following Jareb Private School, Chess in Slums Africa placed second with a N1.5 million prize, and Baptist Group of Schools took third with 1 million naira in the primary school category.
In subsequent days, Platform School claimed the top prize of 2.5 million naira, followed by Daysprings Secondary School with 2 million naira and Shima Academy with 1.5 million naira in the secondary school category. In the tertiary level, University of Lagos emerged victorious, winning 1 million naira. Nnamdi Azikiwe University came second with 500,000 naira, and Obafemi Awolowo University placed third, earning 325,000 naira.
Initiatives like this show the value of creating spaces where young Nigerians can learn, compete and be reminded that they have something to offer, no matter where they are coming from.
