A man identified as naetochukwu01 on X has recounted how his mother’s action changed the course of his life when she burnt his travel documents two weeks before he was due to travel to Australia to play soccer.
Naetochukwu01 posted this on his X handle on Thursday in response to a post about the father of Nigerian chess master Tunde Onakoya, revealing he initially opposed his son’s passion for chess.
In his post, Naetochukwu01 explained that at the age of 15, he was scouted to go to Melbourne, Australia, to play soccer; however, the incident that occurred two weeks before he travelled “changed the trajectory of his life.”
He wrote, “I no been wan talk but e no spoil😂. When I was 15, I got scouted to play for a team in Melbourne, Australia. Two weeks to leave for Melbourne. One faithful Sunday, my mom came home from church and was yelling at me, so I hissed at her, and, she became furious (typical African mother).
“Then she started yelling, ‘Is it because you want to go abroad now that you are hissing at me? Come and go now, let me see you. I have to tame you before you become untamable.”
He added that in fury, she stormed his room, seized his travel documents, soccer jerseys, boots, and belongings, and set them ablaze in the backyard using kerosene and matches.
He added, “She stormed my room and took my travel documents, my jerseys and boots I had bought in Nigeria, and my boxes.
“She took kerosene and matches, went to the backyard, and set everything ablaze. Immediately, she lit the fire and threw it in, her eyes cleared.
“I was only able to recover my international passport. Idk if she regrets it, but my life could have changed for good if not for her anger.”
He further stated that his mother later apologised for her actions, but he still acknowledges the impact her actions had on his life.
“I’m not saying this to pile on my Ma or anything, but it changed the trajectory of my life; she has apologised and is still apologising, and I don’t think I love her any less.
“I just hope I win big with something else because the suffering that act has put me through can’t be explained,” he concluded.
PUNCH Online reports that the father of Nigerian chess master, Tunde Onakoya, Pa Onakoya, revealed that he was never in support of his son playing chess, stating that he never knew that Chess would make him popular.
Pa Onakoya stated that when Tunde was a child, whenever he saw him playing chess, he would pack everything away because he wanted him to focus on his academics.
