When 15-year-old Kanyeyachukwu Tagbo Okeke picked up a brush to paint a canvas larger than two football fields, he wasn’t just creating art. he was rewriting the narrative of autism in Nigeria.
In November 2024, his 12,304-square-meter masterpiece, a sea of emojis circling a multicoloured autism ribbon entered the Guinness World Records as the largest art canvas ever created.
On Monday, that record-breaking feat earned him more than international applause: Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, awarded him a N25 million scholarship fund to secure his education and future.
In receiving Kanyeyachukwu at the State House, Mrs. Tinubu shifted the spotlight from disability to ability, urging Nigerian parents to nurture the hidden strengths of children with special needs.
“Special children often have a single, burning interest,” she said. “When parents push that interest, it becomes their genius. Kanyeyachukwu is proof. His story is a call to every family: focus on what your child can do, not what they cannot.”
Her message cut across as much more than charity, it was a statement of inclusion at the highest level of government.
For many, the award comes at a symbolic moment: Children’s Day. The First Lady said the timing was deliberate, framing the recognition as a message to all Nigerian children, especially those with special needs, that their dreams are valid.
The Minister of Art, Culture, Tourism, and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musa Musawa, hailed Kanyeyachukwu’s triumph as a blueprint for how Nigeria can harness youthful passion into global achievement.
“His journey shows the boundless possibilities when passion meets opportunity,” Musawa noted. “He is a beacon of hope for countless young Nigerians, proof that art and culture are not side passions, but powerful drivers of global recognition.”
What Kanyeyachukwu has painted, observers say, is larger than any canvas. His feat has forced a new conversation about autism, talent development, and Nigeria’s capacity to produce world-class creatives.
In rewarding him, the First Lady not only celebrated a personal victory but also spotlighted an entire community of overlooked talents, children with unique challenges, but also unique gifts.
As she handed over the cheque, the First Lady received something far more symbolic in return: one of Kanyeyachukwu’s paintings and his Guinness World Record certificate, a reminder that Nigeria’s future icons may not always come from expected places.