Chess world record holder Tunde Onakoya has defended himself amid the controversies and criticisms that emerged following his recent meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Onakoya received a series of backlash from netizens after he presented a gold-plated adire chess board and his Guinness World Record certificate to Tinubu on Tuesday.

The encounter with Tinubu spurred a spectrum of public opinion, as many netizens accused him of aligning with Tinubu, who, in their opinion, is pushing many Nigerians into poverty and unprecedented hardship.

The Guinness World Record Holder and Founder of Chess in Slums, in a post on X, clarified his intentions, reaffirmed his commitment to the children of Nigeria’s slums through his organisation, Chess in Slums Africa, and defended himself amid the controversies.

“A visit is not an endorsement. I will visit many more people and will continue to sell my chess boards,” Onakoya wrote.

He further noted that he had no interest in partisan politics.

“I have no interest in partisan politics because of the sensitivity of the work that I do. If that ever changes, then I would resign my role as CEO of Chess in Slums Africa.

”The rhetoric that Chess in slums only exists or is relevant because of bad governance is not accurate. The real impact of our work is in the synapses. We’re using chess as a tool to teach cognition and improve academic outcomes.”

Speaking further, he added that he will continue to partner with the government to impact the lives of the beneficiaries of the Chess in Slums initiative.

“Our collective hurt is valid and we may disagree on politics but there are actual lives at stake and we all have a role to play in whatever capacity to stop this hemorrhage,” he said.

“Yes we will partner with the government to scale this impact and institutionalize it so Tunde stops being the hero of the story. It’s your tax anyway.

“Finally I’d say this, my fight is different. I’m not on the fence. I took a stand ten years ago for the country I want to see.”