A commercial tricycle rider in Kaduna, Ayuba Yusuf, who returned N100,000 left by a passenger, has lamented being described as said the reaction of some people took him by surprise.

On Monday, Mr Yusuf, who claimed to have a diploma in Public Administration, said that although few people commended him, a lot more scolded him for returning the cash to the owner.

“I believe that what is not mine cannot be mine. Unfortunately, I received calls from most people castigating me for being foolish enough to return such an amount of money in these hard times,” Mr Yusuf disclosed. “They were surprised that such honesty was displayed by a tricycle operator of all people, whom they felt ought to have capitalised on the opportunity to empower himself financially.”

Narrating how it happened, the tricycle operator said on October 19, a lady with children flagged him at exactly 6:45 p.m., barely 15 minutes to the time of 7:00 p.m. when tricycles must be off the road for the day.

“I told her it was late but she pleaded with me to help her as she had some small children and was probably returning from a trip.

“Out of pity, I obliged. She paid her fare, and I hurriedly left to beat the 7:00 p.m. closing time fixed by the state government. But on reaching home, I saw a bag forgotten in my tricycle, apparently belonging to the woman,” said the tricycle rider. “When I opened it, I saw some clothing materials, cosmetics, and money, which I decided not to touch.”

Forty-year-old Mr Yusuf and father of four said he told his wife about it, and they decided to listen to the radio for an announcement regarding the cash.

“My wife later heard an announcement on the missing bag through Liberty radio, Kaduna, and drew my attention, after which I returned the items, including the money,” he explained. “The woman was so elated that she gave me N10,000 out of the money, which I rejected, but she insisted that I should accept same.”

Continuing, Mr Yusuf noted, “Some people at the station intervened by insisting that I accept the gift, which I did reluctantly by collecting only N4,000, and giving some others N6,000 to share.”

Mr Yusuf also mentioned becoming a commercial tricycle rider because he could not get a white-collar job. He also stated that he pays N15,000 weekly to the owner of the tricycle he rides.

The owner of the money, Maryam Umar, said she was relieved after collecting the bag containing the money and other items.

“I was so happy. I never knew that such people still abound in our society today. I commend him for his honesty. How I wish all people will always display such an attitude,” she said. 

(NAN)