ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

A cleaner who found and returned US$10,000 in cash while cleaning an aircraft has been rewarded by his employer.

Cleaner Auwal Ahmed Dankode found the money on an airline passenger's seat after the plane had landed in Kano, Nigeria.

He promptly handed the money in to the Egypt Air station manager. A reception was held in his honour at the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company's headquarters in Lagos where he was praised for his transparency, honesty and integrity. He also received a cash reward plus an instant promotion.

The NAHCO's group executive director Sola Obabori claims Dankode has become a poster boy for the company, not only in Nigeria but also the world because the incident has gone viral.

"In today's Nigeria where the value of the dollar is very high, by returning so many of them you have done something that makes us proud," he said. "Every well-meaning Nigerian will appreciate what you have done."

Cleaning staff often find cash and valuables during the course of their work - particularly at transport hubs.

In July, cleaner Tran Thi Huong found a bag containing the equivalent of US$54,900 in cash at Da Nang International Airport in Vietnam and reported her find to the airport authorities. She was given a cash sum for her honesty.

And in 2019, a cleaner came across a brown envelope on a London bus containing more than £300,000 in cash. She handed it in to police which earned her high praise - but no reward.