Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr. Samuel Udeh, handed over a large sum of money left behind by a passenger in one of their parks within Owerri Municipality to the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Aboki Danjuma.
Udeh, accompanied by other management team members of the union, handed over the money to the CP at the Command’s headquarters in Owerri in the presence of journalists over the weekend.
The Imo NURTW chair narrated that when he was notified about the money, which had been left on a bus operated by a union member, he thought it proper to bring it to the attention of the CP, as they had waited in vain for the owner to come forward.
He stated that integrity is the cornerstone of any successful organization, and returning the money was a decision rooted in the new values of integrity and commitment to service, fostered by the reformation of Imo NURTW under his administration.
He said, “One of my unit chairmen brought this huge amount of money to me, informing me that a passenger had forgotten it in one of our vehicles. As we cannot keep the money with us, we deemed it necessary to bring it to the police for proper identification by the rightful owner, so we don’t give it to the wrong person.
“Before now, people used to call us agberos, but since I took over the union as state chairman, I can boldly say that the union is now well-organized, reformed, and disciplined.
“This action will go a long way in demonstrating that the union has transformed and should be recognized and treated as professionals, because we help to drive the nation’s economy.
“The general public should be informed about the lost money so the rightful owner can come pick it up from the office of the CP, Imo State Command.”
Praising the chairman and the union’s actions as a model of honesty and transparency, CP Danjuma affirmed that such an act of integrity should not go unrecognized, adding that the driver who found the money deserved a national award.
In his words, “For the union, through its chairman, to bring lost money found in one of their vehicles to the police to help reach the rightful owner is what we call public trust and transparency, which calls for national honor for the driver who found it.”
“This money will be kept in our custody, while an announcement regarding the money will be made across media platforms for the owner to come and claim it. If, after some time, the money is not claimed, it will be paid into the federal government account, and the teller deposited in court,” Danjuma informed.
This move has since attracted much praise for Imo NURTW, reigniting conversations around transparency and ethics in public service.
