Nigerian airport cleaner finds suitcase full of money and seeks out rightful owner
Let's imagine you make a salary of around $40 per month cleaning airport bathrooms for 12 hours per day, and you stumble upon a lost bag containing nearly $60,000. What would you do?
Before you answer that question or reference an email you once received claiming a Nigerian prince owes you money, meet Josephine Ugwu. She works for Patovilki, a company that handles the cleaning and servicing of Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria.
During one of her cleaning shifts, Ugwu actually discovered the bag of loot described in my hypothetical question. She immediately reported her discovery and attempted reach the bag's rightful owner.
According to reporter Lawani Mikairo, who interviewed Ugwu article in the local Vanguard newspaper, Ugwu was not respected for her strong ethics, but instead mocked by colleagues — and by strangers on social media — for not keeping the cash. To boot, the owner of the lost money casually shrugged off the misplacement and showed little appreciation for Ugwu's kindness.
Ugwu told local reporters:
“People should appreciate what they have. People do a lot of bad things because they are not happy with what they have. With the little I earn, I try to manage it well."
Road Warrior Voices spoke with Lagos airport authorities who shared that upon learning of Ugwu's story this past spring, The Lagos State House of Assembly recognized her good deed with the prestigious National Orientation Agency Citizens Responsibility Award for outstanding character. Ugwu is one of 16 Nigerians to have received this national honor.
An airport spokesman also said that Ugwu has been receiving monetary gifts from locals that learn of her story and are impressed with her actions. Her employer jumped into the fray, too, doubling her salary to $80 per month.
This incident actually marks the third time Ugwu has found money at the airport while cleaning and returned it. Luckily, the third time was the charm, and she has finally received some reward for her good deeds. Those that mocked her before are probably biting their tongues by this point.
Perhaps the more pressing question is why more people are not applying to be airport cleaners in Nigeria, given the apparent frequency of lost currency in airport bathrooms.