Where there is compassion, there will be miracles.

Here’s a story of how we took 55 homeless children off the streets of Lekki/epe expressway, and helped them find their place in the world again.

A thread… They say a child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel it’s warmth.
Thousands of homeless street children who wander the streets of Lagos, often seen but rarely heard, will someday lose that childhood innocence,become Area boys and a menace to society.

Allow me weigh in a bit on the Tech and "Yahoo" boys conversation lest we risk becoming a generation of reactionary young people with zero will to do the hard things required to solve hard problems.

A thread... Having conversations like this on Twitter can be daunting especially when it's one with a lot of grey areas.

I'll start off with saying that as a 17year old teenager from Ikorodu, the only thing that prevented me from getting into "Yahoo" was because I couldn't afford a Laptop.

It's been nearly a month since I underwent a total hip replacement surgery to correct a childhood injury. Although the surgery was successful, my healing hasn't been linear.
After weeks of coping with persistent pain, I now feel ready to share my experience... At exactly 3:30pm on the 11th of July, the wheel chair was brought to my ward and I was asked to change into a blue hospital gown for surgery.
I had spent the last hour reading the kind wishes from everyone on social media and was completely blown away by the love and support.

Dear governor @seyiamakinde , congrats on your re-election as leader of the people of Oyo state.
40 homeless children living under Mokola bridge made this painting and would like to present it to you in person

Let’s work together to help them find their place in the world again We're now in the 2nd phase of our plan for the boys which is rehabilitation and re-integration into society. Our approach is holistic and Data driven so we need all state and non-state actors to work together so the boys don't end up on the streets again when all of this is over.

The greatest miracle of chess is in the inate ability of a pawn to become a queen(The most powerful piece)

- Chess champions from Obanliku Becheve

A thread... Two months ago, I put out this story on a practice we discovered in Obanliku LGA Becheve where little girls were being sold into marriage for money and gift items.

https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD/status/1584055357915402241?t=sZ6LA81T9SZ2zM24GMgcLA&s=19

Yesterday, I finally found the courage to confront a pain I've lived with all my life. This could fundamentally change everything but it's an important first step towards recovery.

It all started 27 years ago... One of the things we don't talk about is the fear of confronting what may be a worsening health condition. We ignore the pain and tension building up in our bodies because we're afraid of what we might find. Instead, we opt for blissful ignorance and hope for the best.

A lot has happened since I made the tweet about Money wives in Becheve.

A thread... The tweet went viral and sparked a seismic wave of reactions from so many people around the world.
For us @chessinslums , it came with the good, the bad and the ugly. There was a lot of pushback from the community leaders, NGOs and residents of the entire Obanliku LGA.

There’s a barbaric tradition known as “Money wife” in a remote village in Cross river state called Becheve where girls as young as 10 years old are being sold into marriage

I decided to travel down to learn more about how these girls are being robbed of their childhood

A thread It all started back in march this year, when a cinematographer sent a video to me on twitter which properly detailed the stories of some of the victims of this barbaric act, and asked that we considered it as our next project for @chessinslums

The video broke me.

I visited the Area Boys at oshodi recently, it was our first re-union in three months.
I wanted to make sure they were doing okay and also talk to them about the upcoming elections so they don't become pawns in another man's game.

A thread... If there's one important lesson i learnt from the oshodi chess project, it's the profound realization that all men can be criminals if tempted and all men can be heroes if inspired.

Hello everyone,

We're about to start a new Chess in slums project and this time we've decided to trust more people with the responsibility of our vision.
We need at least a thousand volunteers from around the globe to join our incredible team of slum heroes. In a world of seemingly endless superhero blockbuster releases, you'd be forgiven for presuming that heroes are characterized by their ability to pull off a cape or by having an awe-inspiring story of defying evil forces or preventing the apocalypse...

Today makes it exactly two years since I met Odunayo hawking fish on the streets of majidun Ikorodu with her little brother.
A lot has happened since then, but two weeks ago, she completed her first year of school and passed her examinations😊

A thread... I shared their beautiful story here sometime last year 😊
Oh how time flies...

https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD/status/1362594164785971204?t=uGj7VgOwfsA3pCkg8N-qjw&s=08

I got an email this morning that I won the JCI ten outstanding young persons of Nigeria award for contribution to children, world peace and human right.

I felt greatly honored😊, but It also made me think about airplanes.

I'll tell you a story... "Daddy,daddy- Mummy, mummy" I want to enter Eloplane".
As a child, this was my biggest dream; for most of us really
Some kids got this wish granted at the snap of their fingers and for some, it was a long shot from reality.
I was in the frame of the latter, until the year 2018.

Brilliant thread.
Someone in the comment section asked an important question. He said-"Is the cost of steam distillation high because why are companies not investing"

I think this presents a great opportunity to help us(Young people) understand an important dysfunction in Africa

https://twitter.com/realkelvin07/status/1548992194714943488

Let's start from the genesis.

Nigeria is ranked first in terms of the percentage of total hectares of ginger under ginger cultivation but her contribution is low compared to other countries due to varying factors in actual production from farmers with rudimentary techniques to..

Tonight, my heart is filled with Joy that knows no bounds😊

I think the time is finally right to share this story with the world.
I'm sorry if this makes you cry, it's a journey that has brought me to tears several times but it's an important story i must tell.

A thread... November 2018...
I met a boy (Ayomide), he was exceptional during our chess training session in the slums of Majidun. I wanted to meet his parents and tell them how amazing their son was.
He took me to a dusty shed where a woman sat calmly
He hugged her and said that was his mum.

Life update:

Fawaz got his first modeling gig recently and could very well be on his way to super stardom as a chess player. We're bringing more chess to your screens very soon and the children from our @chessinslums academy will lead this revolution 🚀♥️

I have carefully curated the entire story of the oshodi chess project from its inception to the end here in this thread.
Historians, storytellers, filmmakers, journalists, researchers etc Please tell the world that greatness can be found in the most unlikely places!

A thread...

https://twitter.com/Tunde_OD/status/1412053703817940993?s=20&t=xzROA5EVT1HNV4W105dM0A

In this final thread that officially brings the oshodi chess project to an end, I'll share the good, bad and ugly.
We finally got accommodation for all 51 children but it came at a cost.

The End game: Helping the oshodi underbridge children find their place in the world again. After the oshodi underbridge chess tournament happened, something changed...
A new narrative was birthed which ignited hope in the hearts of so many people around the world.
For the first time in history, we all became Area boys for the sake of those who have been marginalized.

On this day in history, the Canadian high commission visited oshodi underbridge.

Chess can change the world 🌍 ♥️

A Thread... We received the Canadian High commissioner Kevin Tokar and 8 sailors from the HMCS Goose Bay-a Kingston class patrol ship in the Royal Canadian Navy led by Commander Daniel Rice.

Junior is a 14-year-old orphan boy who has spent the past one year living under Oshodi Bridge.
Two weeks ago, he got knocked down by a bus and almost lost his life but for the quick intervention of our medical team.

He's fully recovered now and had this to say in a song 😊♥️ The aftermath of the accident was a scary moment for all of us as his head was swollen and he was in severe pain whilst receiving treatment.

So many children have lost their lives under Oshodi Bridge because there was no one to look out for them in times like this.

About a year ago, I found this little boy in the slums of ikorodu picking scrap from the floor.
I adopted him and he has lived with me ever since then.

Today is his first day at school 😊 God. My heart🥲♥️

Chess can change the world ♥️

Here's a Thread on the beautiful ways in which chess connects us... Our Chess beyond borders event was an incredible success and a true testament to the connective power of chess and how it serves as a cultural bridge,unifying people from different backgrounds in an increasingly diverse world.