Emmanuel Obodoezie, a tricycle operator at the Ariaria International Market in Aba, Abia, has returned ₦2.04 million to a trader who inadvertently left it in his vehicle after disembarking on Wednesday.
Obodoezie, in an interview with journalists, recounted that he had picked up a woman along Powerline Road, who later got off near the Free Zone area, known for its fish market.
Obodoezie mentioned that he informed the woman her fare was ₦300, but she only provided ₦250, which he accepted without any objections as she departed.
He noted that he did not check the back of his tricycle after she exited and, thus was unaware that she had left her bag behind.
The driver has been receiving commendations from the traders at Ariaria for his integrity amidst the challenging economic conditions in Nigeria.
“Because of the bad roads, my machine was bending to one side and to another side until the bag at the back of my machine fell of.
“Then people who saw it fall began to call me to wait that my bag in my machine had fallen off.
“I stopped and thought it must be the bag of the woman who I dropped off some minutes ago,” he said.
He said that before he stopped, the person who picked it opened it and, seeing it was money, wanted to take some from it, but that he refused to allow him and others to take the money.
He further explained that he told one of them to hold the money while he would go and bring the owner.
“I went in search of her and God being so kind, she was already coming to search for the tricycle operator who conveyed her and her goods to the market.
“‘When I found her, I went to show her where I kept the money for her to take it,” he said.
The owner of the money, Mrs Chika Aloysius-Iw, told newsmen that she was to go to the bank with the ₦2.04 million in her bag.
“After alighting, I forgot that money on top of the seat of his machine and left.
“When I got to my stall, I remembered that I had forgotten money in that tricycle.
“I knew the face of the man but did not know where he stayed so I went in search of him along the road where he stopped for me,” Aloysius-Iwu said.