national honour as a Member of the Federal Republic last week, he was also given
plots of land in Abuja.
“It was one morning by 5.30 AM, in November, 2007, when British Airways
(BA), landed at the international wing of the airport in Abuja. As
usual, I positioned myself from metres away from the arrival wing
waiting for passengers to come out so that I can get my customers and
take them where ever they want to go inside town.
“In my waiting position I saw these two white men who came with the
British airways. From distance I could observe that they were obviously
tired from their look. They beckoned on me requesting for a drop at the
Hilton Transcorp Hotel in Maitama area in Abuja.
“I didn’t waste time as I immediately put some of their bags into the
boot of my cab and the remaining ones neatly arranged on the back seat
and underneath the seats, and off I headed for the destination.
“I arrived at the hotel lounge within 45 minutes and dropped them with
their luggage. I got paid N,4000 for my service and I zoomed off, but
unknown to both of us there was a bag which contained this huge amount
of money left behind tucked away underneath my seat.”
“I decided to take the cab for washing as my usual practice after the
day’s work, and while I was removing the foot mats in a bent down
position, I saw this brown suite case tucked underneath the driver’s
seat. Immediately I remembered the passengers I had carried for the day
and I started thinking of who really among them could have forgotten the
suitcase. Instinctively I knew it was one of the many bags belonging to
those chaps I took to Transcorp Hilton. Even though I didn’t open the
suitcase, I sensed at that hour that it must at least contain some
valuable items.
My immediate response was to inform our association chairman at that
time, Mr. Alex Ekwueme Udom. I told him what happened and that I was
returning the bag to the owners.”
He continued: “By the time I met these guys, the owners of the bag at
the hotel, they were standing at the hotel lobby confused, dejected and
frustrated. They couldn’t even recognise me as the cab driver that
brought them from the airport and shockingly they didn’t know the number
of taxi. But, I could recognise them.
“These people could not believe their eyes. Their confused state
disappeared, and they were so happy that they went on their knees
thanking me for returning the bag. They requested for my GSM numbers and
in a twinkle of an eye, I disappeared from the scene,” he said.
“I did it to let people know, especially the foreigners that Nigerians
are good and great people. I can go hungry for days, for as long as my
integrity remains, hunger will disappear by itself.”