An airport taxi operator, Mr. Adeniyi Olayinka, has returned N888, 000 and an international passport found in his car to the owner.
The items were forgotten by a passenger who boarded his vehicle at the car park of the international wing of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos.
Speaking in an interview with aviation correspondents in Lagos, Olayinka said he found the items on the back seat of his car after he returned to the airport from Ibese, Ikorodu where he took a passenger to.
He said he works as commissioned driver to a member of the Airport Car Hire Association of Nigeria (ACHAN) because he was yet to buy his own car.
He said he would have caused sorrow to the passenger and family if he had taken the money.
Besides, he said it is against the orientation given to members of ACHAN plying the airport route.
“It could be tempting to some people to see such money and pocket it, especially when their income is very poor. As for me, it never crossed my mind to do so because it would create sorrow in another family and also such idea is against the orientation we are given at ACHAN by our leaders,” he said.
Explaining how he found the money and the passport, Olayinka who said he had been operating in the airport for 15 years recalled: “About 1:30 am on Monday I met this passenger on arrival at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. I negotiated with him and we agreed N6, 000 to transport him to his destination in Ikorodu. I returned to the airport immediately I dropped him in his house. But no sooner I arrived and parked my car at the airport I discovered that an enveloped had been left on the back seat. I picked the envelope and opened it. What I saw was international passport.
“I looked further into the envelope and discovered there was another white envelope. I opened the second envelope only to discover that something was wrapped in it. When I removed the wrapper I discovered it contained mint fresh notes of US currency. They were in $100 denomination. I counted and they were 24 in number totaling $2,400.
“When converted at prevailing rate of N370 as at Monday morning, it amounted to N888, 000. Based on the orientation and instructions we receive from the leadership of ACHAN on weekly basis, I reported the find to the officer on duty at the arrival car park of the airport.
“I was instructed to drop the parcel and its contents at our secretariat at Murtala Muhammed International Airport. Since I didn’t have the passenger’s phone contact, I had to go to the place where I dropped him to inform him or his family member of the discovery. But by the time I got to the passenger’s home at Ibese, Ikorodu, I was told he had returned to the airport to look for the lost parcel. As I was leaving the house in Ikorodu, I got a call from our secretariat that the passenger was already in the airport to report the loss.”
Recounting the incident, the passenger, Mr. Dele Ayeni said there is hope for Nigeria in many ways.
“I arrived in Lagos from Cairo on July 29, 2019 about 1:30am on Monday. My intention when I arrived was to call Uber operator to pick me home as soon as I stepped out of the terminal building. But as I was coming out…I met this polite driver who agreed to take me to my destination in Ikorodu at an agreed price of N6000.
“While on the way, I decided to drop my jacket on the floor of the car to avoid being noticed as a very important man sitting on the rear seat of the car. Immediately we got to my house in Ikorodu I removed my jacket from where I had kept it and also my luggage, without noticing that the envelope in the jacket had dropped.
“Unfortunately enough, I didn’t open my luggage to bring out what I had for my family members until after I woke up in the noon. That was when I discovered that the envelope was missing in my jacket. I exclaimed. I said all my suffering during the trip resulted to total loss.
“I came to the airport and went to the car park where I boarded the cab. Immediately I approached and complained to one of the drivers, who happened to be the duty officer for that shift, he asked for my name and I told him.
“He then told me that the envelope was found in the car and had been deposited at their secretariat and that the driver who took me home had gone to my house again to inform me of the discovery.
“This is a living testimony that Nigeria has hope. We are not all bad people. I have started campaigning on the social media telling people to always patronise airport registered cabs. The advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
“I want to thank ACHAN for having this type of arrangement in Nigerian airports. It is wonderful,” he said.
Speaking while handing over the items to Ayeni, the chairman of ACHAN, MMIA branch, Mr. Olubi Ojo said the passenger’s case was one of the many cases the association handles on regular basis.
“This is a regular occurrence in this airport; passengers forget many things such as passports, money and other personal belongings in our cabs, but they are very sure of finding them if truly the items are left in any of our cabs.
“We give regular orientation on why they should return to the secretariat any item found to have been left behind by passengers in their vehicles,” said Ojo.
