The driver returned N18 million naira forgotten in his cab in the year 2007.

A taxi driver at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Imeh Usuah, on Tuesday emerged the winner of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s, SEC, maiden Integrity Award.

Mr. Usuah, accompanied with his wife, was awarded a plaque and N2.5 million for his honesty. He was being celebrated by the capital market community for returning N18 million forgotten in his taxi cab in 2007 by a customer.

Mr. Usuah, a former workshop foreman with Julius Berger Plc, had earlier been acknowledged and commended by four different groups in the country.

The Director- General of SEC, Arunma Oteh, said that the award was the commission’s contributions toward the promotion, recognition and reward for integrity.

“Usuah’s exemplary act of honesty and integrity had sprinkled a burst of refreshing dew upon the national consciousness,” Ms. Oteh said.

She said the award is “a careful response to a critical need of the Nigerian society, as it is through it that trust is built and sustained”.

Responding, Mr. Usuah, a native of Ubokudom in Akwa Ibom State, commended the commission for the gesture and devoted the award to the “unsung honest and committed Nigerians across the country.”