Kwesi Ackon, a taxi driver, had no idea that his honesty would pay off when he returned GH8,400 to a passenger left in his car.
After his act of honesty went viral, Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia donated GH20,000 to him.
On Wednesday morning, a video of Mr. Ackon returning the money to the owner went viral on social media. The video shows the money’s owner and her family crying and praising the taxi driver for saving their life.
One of them is overheard remarking that the missing money was keeping them awake at night.
Manasseh Azure Awuni, the Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate, was moved by the video and the taxi driver’s honesty and proposed on Facebook that something be done to award the taxi driver beyond words of gratitude.
A number of people responded to the Facebook post by reaching out and offering assistance.
Vice President Dr. Bawumia was one of them, donating GH20,000 to Mr. Ackon in recognition of his honesty and exceptional behavior.
Manasseh also presented GH2,500 from two unknown contributors, bringing the total to GH22,500.
They say it pays to be truthful. Kwesi Ackon, on the other hand, did not believe it could be that literal. Isaac Ackon arrived at the Malata market in Accra New Town on Easter Saturday. It was 8 p.m., and a potential passenger had signaled for him to come to a halt.
Kidi Gives A Taxi Driver GHC 5,000 For Returning GHC 8,000 To A Passenger Left In His Car (VIDEO)
She wanted a taxi to Teshie. After negotiating a fare of 40 cedis, Isaac began a trip aimed at making sales to feed his wife and three children.
Isaac’s car is a rusty Nissan registered in 2013. Fumes from the pipe reveal a tired engine. He says because the car is old, it is hard to get passengers especially as taxi-riding services like Uber threatens to blow his taxi out of business.
He says there are several days when he makes losses and in a good week, he can make GH¢300.
On that Easter Saturday, after ending another day, he was checking through his car when he found a cloth tied over something. The cloth was dirty, like a rag. It smelled of fish. “I wanted to throw it away,” he told The Fourth Estate.
But restrained by a little curiosity, he unwrapped it and found several notes. It was money. “I didn’t count the money,” and neither did he count himself lucky.
He knew he had to return the money. He knew it must have belonged to the woman he picked at Malata Market. He said he couldn’t have returned the money immediately. It was already dawn.
On Easter Sunday, after worshipping at his church, The Church of Pentecost, he drove to Teshie and reunited a weeping trader with her money.
Asked what pushed him to do it, he said his religion, Christianity, did not permit him to do otherwise.
“If you are a Christian, you should always differentiate yourself from non-Christians,” he told The Fourth Estate. If you enjoy our stories kindly join our community for more updates ☺️
