'No matter how defaced the society we live in might be, It never determines to what extent we become successful! We are indeed our own architect of success'

Meet Afolabi Emmanuel, a young chess prodigy, who started on the road to becoming a chess player a little over 5 years ago, today! crushes and outshines his peers who had  long time ago started playing chess before he even began. 

He was born into a family of three (3) on the 4th of March, 2004; The only son and second child of the family. Born and bred in Ayoola street, Bariga, Odunsi. He attended Blue fountain Nursery and primary school at Anike-Abu street, Bariga, and got his first school leaving certificate at the age of 9.  At  9, he had secured admission into Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Junior High School in 2014. After completion of the Junior high school classes, he forged on to Birrel Avenue Senior High School where he completed his senior secondary school education from 2017-2019, passed out as the Assistant Head Boy of the school, acknowledged as one of the best mathematics students in school, and went on to graduate with one of the best O'level results. 

Emmanuel had lived an antisocial life from primary school until when he started playing chess in Senior Secondary School, where it improved his social life, mathematical thinking, and problem-solving skills.   

He had won many awards and chess tournaments for the school ranging from PWC chess4change for change 2017-2019 and also won the Jubrila Ayinla Secondary School Tournament in 2018. According to Afolabi Emmanuel, in a live interview session with Ilẹbariga, said 'life hasn't been so easy but God has been there with supportive parents and others in my life journey '.

Emmanuel currently occupies the 2nd position for the U-17 Nigeria chess players, more also he occupies the 5th spot in the U-18 Nigeria chess players list.

Below are Afolabi’s achievements in a matter of 5 years:·         

  1. Won a Gold medal at the National Youth Games 2019 Board 1 and a silver medal from the Blitz event.
  2. Best u-16 at the C4 Chess Championship 2019.
  3. Tied for 2nd at the Malogy Chess Championship U-15 in 2019.
  4. Lagos city Blitz winner U-15 2019.
  5. Tied 2nd at PWC Chess4Change 2019. 
  6. Won a gold medal at the just concluded Ibadan Chess League 2020/21 on board 10 Leading his team to finish 2nd place in the finals.

Afolabi’s positional prowess and endgame tactics have earned him notable winnings against his peers and some other notable players in chess tournaments in Nigeria and aided his development into becoming a universal player.






 

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  'Bariga is said to have had twelve communities with the early settlers who arrived in the area around 1630 AD'   History has it that the early settlers were from Ife Awori who settled in Bariga in the 17th century, and were mostly fishermen, hence their need to be close to the river and many other settlers like the Ilajes and others also settled in the area at that time birthing twelve villages with their respective Baales who were controlled by the Oba of Shomolu.  The then town chose its Oba from the twelve villages, which were Abule Okuta, Bariga, Apaleyin, Mafo Owoku, Obanikoro, Adaranijo, Pedro, Aiyetoro, Felodun, Owode, Isale Akoka, and Ilaje. History also has it that in Bariga's 389-year existence, it had only been able to produce three Obas, the first being Oba Lamidi Soberu from Abule Okuta, the second, from Shomolu central and the present Oba of Shomolu, Oba Kassim Olu. Fast track to the modern times, Bariga was formerly under the Somolu local government area ...
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'We believe our society is indeed never a determinant of who or what we become'.  The fact is, we are the determinant of our society, good or bad, however, what we make of it is what we become. The stories of people who rose from the slums and suburbs of  Bariga to become great men and women our nation and the world adore herein are true stories, most of which are carried out by life interviews and one on one personal experience with them. If you happen to be one of those who rose from Bariga and you are one eccentric and influential person in any major today and you love to share your story with the world about your experience in the said suburb, very well then, this blog is the right place for you to share those thoughts. These stories you share with us to put up here are to serve as words of encouragement to others in Bariga who are aspiring to become great but have come undone and given up on their dreams to think nothing less of themselves by letting them know dreams don...
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