Photo: Meet The Hotel Worker Who Returned N17Million

A man in Jigawa has performed a remarkable deed as he found and returned N17 Million.

37-year-old Yusuf Usman discovered the money in an iPad jacket in one of the rooms he supervises at the Three-Star Hotel in, Dutse, Jigawa.

Usman earns just N20,000 monthly but that did not tempt him to keep the money. He said:

 “I have been with State, for the past 15 years and I am currently their Reception Manager. What actually happened was that on that fateful day that I found the money, I was on my way from reception to see one of the house-keepers. I passed through the hotel garden where some of our guests usually relax.

 As I was going, I saw an iPad lying close to one of the flowers in the garden and there was nobody there. So I went and took the iPad so that I could take it to the reception and wait for the owner who may come for it later.

 When I looked at it closely, I saw some foreign currency and some wad of naira notes in the iPad jacket. I quickly took it to the management and I was asked to keep the money and the iPad in my safe at the reception. I did not count the money myself,”

“Three days later, a staff of Jigawa College of Health Technology, Jahun, who came to book the hotel for their guests called me and said that one of the guests, who was lodged in the hotel had called to say that he misplaced his iPad containing some money, but can’t remember whether it was in the hotel he forgot it or not. I told them that it was in the hotel and I found it,”

The reception manager said the people from Jahun were so happy and full of thanks when they came to claim the money.

“When the owner of the money found out that his money has been found, he was very happy. They thanked me and the management of the hotel. The Jigawa College of Health Technology wrote a commendation letter to me.

It was there they stated that the money was over $100,000 because the jacket also had local currency in it. My management also gave me a commendation letter. Governor Sule Lamido was informed and he showered a lot of praises on me.

He was very proud of me,”

“As you can see I am not financially comfortable but that is not the point. What is not yours is not yours. There are three reasons why I will never take somebody’s property. One, stealing is against the teaching of Islam and I was strictly brought up according to Islamic teaching.

 Secondly, my father has always warned me never to tamper with what is not mine because it can bring destruction in my life and thirdly, it is the tradition of our hotel not to hide whatever item we found. Even if it is not me that found the iPad and the money, whoever found it will have returned it. We have a store in the hotel for forgotten items.

 Some items have been there for 10 years. I don’t see what I did as a big deal. I am just doing my duty,”

“I don’t believe that running away with somebody’s money will make me wealthy. Wealth belongs to Allah and if Allah destined me to be wealthy it will come to pass. My wife is so proud of me that her respect for me has doubled,”

Usman admonished the youth to preserve their integrity and to realize that a good name is better than wealth.