“I was flown to Lagos with my wife and our Association Chairman. I attended an elaborate ceremony organized by the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) to showcase integrity. I was given some amount of money. I am so happy about it.”

Those were the words of Mr. Imeh Usuah, the Abuja Cab driver whose story of integrity was published in THISDAY edition of September 20, 2012. He has been reward. The story headlined, “One Missing Hero at the National Honour’s Awards” caught the attention of many individuals, corporate organizations, and government agencies. In the end, it was the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) that fired the first shot at recognising integrity.

Mr. Usuah had returned the sum of N18 million to the two Britons who forgot the money in his cab. 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”.

Perhaps, Usuah has a clairvoyance eyes to predict his own future that hunger will disappear by itself as integrity takes centre stage in his life, on September 25, exactly five days after the publication, the Security and Exchange Commission honoured a rare ‘national hero’ using him as an ambassador to launch the maiden edition of its Integrity award with the sum of 2.5 million naira reward in cash and investment.

The Director General, SEC, says, “this award is being instituted to remind our people that integrity pays and with integrity we can achieve whatever we want to achieve in life without necessarily cutting corners. Also, it is to tell everyone that integrity can take higher than improper behavior which brings people down.”


http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/awesome-reward-for-honest-cab-man/127186/