I was against my son playing chess, don’t discourage your children from their passion – Record-breaker, Tunde Onakoya’s dad says

Pa Onakoya, the father of Nigerian chess prodigy Tunde Onakoya, has admitted that he initially opposed his son’s involvement in chess. He confessed that during Tunde’s childhood, he would interrupt his chess matches to encourage him to prioritize his education.

In a sideline interview with City Edge TV at Lagos airport on Wednesday, where he, along with his wife and numerous others, welcomed the Guinness World Record-breaker, the proud father shared this revelation.

He said, “To me, Babatunde Onakoya is an angel because whatever he set his mind on you must succeed.

“As a small child, when Tunde was playing chess, I usually packed everything away from him because I wanted him to focus on school. I didn’t know that it was what would made him popular like this.

“My advice for parents is that they shouldn’t to discourage their children from their passions. I wanted Tunde to be a doctor but I didn’t know that chess would make him popular like this. I thank God.”