THE FILE: Driver, cook who will be MFR, MON
The list of national honourees this year is uncannily remarkable, remarkable because some Nigerians who have been in obscurity despite their personal sacrifices for the nation were named on the list.
The national awards have always jogged controversy, but the government’s tactical inclusion of some noble Nigerians may have given a verisimilitude of “honour” to the awards this time.
In the long list of honourees, two Nigerians definitely stand out; one for integrity and honesty, and the other for hard work and sacrifice.
They are Imeh Usuah Jaja, a taxi driver, and Onuh Isaac Michael, the head of presidential stewards.
Jaja is a 68-year-old father of six. Sometime in November 2007, a passenger he picked up from Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport left a bag containing $120, 000 in his taxi. Jaja, unaware of the content of the bag and not “overly finicky” to peek into the item, returned it to the owner unsoiled.
“According to our training and rules at the airport, we are not allowed to look into peoples’ property or keep them. That is our policy,” he said.
“Even if I had seen the money, I would not have touched because it is not mine. It is against my belief to take people’s property.”
The Akwa Ibom state native, who unbelievably has not been honoured in anyway by his state government, also returned a camera worth N45,000,000 and a phone to an African Independent Television (AIT) staff member who left them in his taxi in the same year another passenger left a bag of money in it. These multiple acts of honesty reinforce the truth of Jaja’s nobility and integrity.
If he had kept the money and sold the camera, he would have been a rich man with lots of influence to peddle. But he chose the rocky path of honesty, believing that he should eat from his own toil.
In a 2012 interview with Metropole, a popular Abuja magazine, Jaja who has suffered misery said he never regretted returning the money.
“The money was not mine. Returning it was the right thing to do,” he added.
So, recognising the uncommon honesty of a toiling man by the federal government is indeed remarkable.
It is important to note that Jaja had received awards and cash gifts from different private and public organisations before he was enlisted on the scroll of the national honours for the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic honour.
He received the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s Integrity Award in 2012. He also received an award and a cash gift of N30, 000 from the National Orientation Agency (NOA). In addition, Guinness Nigeria Plc gave him a cash gift of N50, 000 for uncommon honesty, and by the same token the Security and Exchange Commission awarded him N2.5m.
Jaja, who still lives at a remote town in Abuja, expressed immense joy for being on the national honours’ list.
“My heart is full of joy. My family and I thank the president for this honour,” he told TheCable.
“People have told me not to worry, that the president would remember me. I thank God he did.”
Jaja, flanked by his wife (R) and daughter (L)
In the same stead, Onuh Isaac Micheal is another Nigerian deserving of the national honour, having served 30 years as a steward for different Nigerian heads of state and presidents. At present, he is the head of presidential stewards at Aso villa.
One would expect someone who is very close to power to have some of its trappings, but the 59-year-old still lives in a rented apartment at Karu in Nasarawa state.
According, to Villascope, an in-house magazine of the state house, the native of Kogi state maintains a strict code of not asking for favours because it is against the ethics of his job.
“I cannot approach anybody for anything. We are trained not to beg anybody for anything. Do your job and leave everything to God,” he said.
Describing Onuh, Villascope wrote: “Quiet but unassuming, Micheal Onuh has seen it all. From the first executive president of Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Shagari to Dr Goodluck Jonathan, he has been in the inner recesses of power attending to the domestic needs of the first family of the most populous and powerful black nation in the world.”
In spite of his rare dedication to duty, the father of four children admits that he faces a challenge in his job, and also has a regret.
“The regret I have is that for someone that has been working for his country for over 30 years, it is not good that I don’t have my own accommodation. I live at the outskirts of the city (in Karu, Nasarawa state) in a rented house,” he confessed.
“My greatest challenge is coming all the way from a very far distance to come to work every day. Waking up by 3am to be at work and closing in the early hours of the morning only to be back again very early to work is a big challenge for me.”
Onuh loves his job, which he says has given him much exposure. He has visited the United States, Libya, Venuzuela and Jerusalem, to name just a few.
“I have always derived pleasure in serving others. It also brings one close to the people that matter,” he said.
“I am happy to take care of the people that serve the nation. It means a lot to me. I believe it is my contribution to my fatherland by taking care of little things of the presidents.”
Onuh, the longest-serving staff member at the presidential villa, will be bestowed with the honour of Member of the Order of the Niger.
This is so touching and inspiring! A truly refreshing change! Let’s continue to honour those who promote virtues such as integrity, loyalty, diligence etc. Kudos to these individuals and to all our unsung heroes!
These are the real recipients of National Honours. It is only a dint of hard work and exemplary conduct, which these two exceptional characters have demonstrated that justify the whole essence of the conferment. I am really proud of them and their families.