Auwalu Salisu, a 22-year-old commercial Keke rider, recently shared a remarkable story of how he faced ridicule from friends and members of his community for his extraordinary act of honesty. His story revolves around the return of a staggering N15 million mistakenly left behind by a passenger in his tricycle.
This unexpected windfall had an intriguing origin, as the money's rightful owner, a businessman, had traveled all the way from Chad to Kano, Nigeria, with significant plans for its use.
However, Salisu, the honest Nigerian Keke rider residing in Yankaba, Nasarawa local government, decided to take the path of integrity. He learned about the missing cash through a Kano radio station and made the noble choice to return it.
Salisu's virtuous act garnered widespread recognition and admiration. The N15 million consisted of N2.9 million in Nigerian currency and 10.130 million CFA in foreign currency, a significant sum by any measure.
Despite his honorable actions, Salisu revealed that most of his friends chose to mock him for his honesty. However, a select few applauded his integrity. He received a monetary reward of N100,000 from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) as a token of appreciation for his exemplary display of honesty.
Salisu recounted the sequence of events leading to his admirable act. He had driven three individuals from Badawa to Kano's Yan Kaba Motor Park. It was during the routine cleaning of his tricycle that he stumbled upon a bag brimming with cash.
He shared, "I then rushed to our house and showed my mother. It was wads of foreign currency. My mother quickly informed my father, who also informed his elder brother."
"When they came to the house, they decided we should not announce finding the money on the radio but wait until the owner announced it," Salisu explained.
"I collected the numbers and called them five times, but it was not answered (sic). When I called the other number, it was picked at the third attempt. I spoke with the person and introduced myself as the tricyclist that carried them on Thursday."
"He was happy and arranged to meet at Arewa Radio, where they announced the missing money. We met there, and they were happy. They gave me N400,000."
"I did that for the sake of God. I was even chided by my friends. They said I am mad for returning such an amount of money," Salisu concluded, emphasizing the moral values that guided his actions.