President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima have thrown their weight behind chess grandmaster Tunde Onakoya in his attempt to break the Guinness World Record for the longest unbeaten chess marathon.
Onakoya began his 58-hour quest on Wednesday, April 17 at Times Square, New York at 10am.
He is scheduled to conclude at 8pm on Friday (US time).
The current Guinness World record for the longest chess marathon stands at 56 hours, nine minutes, and 37 seconds and was set by Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad of Norway on November 11, 2018.
Reacting to Onakoya’s Guinness World Record attempt, Tinubu simply wrote on X, “Checkmate the world Tunde Onakoya.”
Shettima said, “We are not only proud of the ambition of the chess maverick, Tunde Onakoya, in his attempt to break the Guinness World record for playing chess for 58 hours without losing a game, but also of his humanitarian interventions and his representation of Nigeria on the global stage through this game of brilliant minds.
“Mr Onakoya is a symbol of excellence and resilience that distinguishes Nigerians both at home and abroad and we stand with him in spirit as he captivates the world from Times Square, New York City. Go, make history and inscribe our name in gold.”
Lagos rooting for you, Sanwo-Olu says as Tunde Onakoya hits 16 hours playing chess
As of the time of filing this report, the chess guru had gone over 40 hours undefeated.
“40 hours in! We are just 18 hours from the moment we have all been waiting for,” Onakoya wrote on X.
“The love from different corners of the world is incredible, and my gratitude is beyond words. Let’s continue spreading the word until we hit the 58-hour and $1m milestone for the education of children with the gift of chess. Thank you!”
The likes of former vice presidents Atiku Abubakar and Yemi Osinbajo have also expressed support for him.
Afrobeat stars Davido and Adekunle Gold have paid visits to Onakoya at Times Square to encourage him.
