- Chess Master Tunde Onakoya has pledged to sponsor the education of a young girl who went viral after her mother was publicly humiliated during child labor.
- Onakoya, deeply moved by the video, shared his personal connection to the mother and child’s struggle, revealing similarities to his own experiences before achieving success.
- Onakoya shared his emotional pain and financial struggles with his housekeeper mother in 2016, highlighting the challenges he faced in providing for her.
Chess Master Tunde Onakoya has vowed to sponsor the education of a young girl whose story went viral after a disturbing video showed her mother being publicly humiliated while engaging in child labor. Onakoya, deeply moved by the emotional video, shared his personal connection to the situation, revealing how the mother and daughter’s struggles closely mirrored his own experiences before rising to success.
In a heartfelt post on his X page, Onakoya reflected on his own childhood struggles, recalling how his mother worked as a housekeeper in 2016, sweeping homes and gutters to make ends meet. He expressed the emotional toll it took on him during that time, especially as he was unable to financially assist her. He shared how he often tried to help by accompanying her on tasks like fetching water, hoping to finish quickly and avoid drawing attention to their poverty.
Onakoya condemned the cruelty of the viral video, where the mother was humiliated in front of her daughter, emphasizing that such situations deserved compassion rather than public outrage. He expressed his belief that the mother and child should receive help, not scorn, in their time of need.
As a powerful gesture of support, Onakoya promised to take full responsibility for the girl’s education, committing to fund her schooling through university. He expressed hope that this act would help ease their burdens and provide a brighter future during such difficult times.
He said: “Extremely cruel to humiliate a mother in front of her daughter like this. Even worse that this was recorded and posted on social media.
My mother used to sweep people’s houses and gutters in 2016. It hurt too much that I could do nothing financially to stop her. I often insisted on going with her, just to help fetch the water she needed so we could finish quicker and get back home before daylight. I didn’t want anyone to see us. The poverty that pushes one to hide their labour in the dark is a painful one.Yes, that child should not be working. But more than outrage, what she and her mother deserve is compassion. The only humane response is to help.
If no one has done this already, I would like to take full responsibility for the girl’s education through university. I hope this eases their burden in some way. These are incredibly hard times.
Our Privilege blinds us in ways we’ll never truly understand.”
