When taxi driver, Kwesi Ackon, returned GH¢8,400 a passenger left in his car, he did not know that his honesty was about to pay off.
Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia donated GH¢20,000 to him after his act of honesty went viral.
On Wednesday morning, a video surfaced on social media of the moment Mr. Ackon returned the money to the owner. The owner of the money and her family are seen in the video weeping and thanking the taxi driver for saving their lives.
One of them is heard saying they could not sleep because of the missing money.
Touched by the video and the taxi driver’s honesty, the Editor-in-Chief of The Fourth Estate, Manasseh Azure Awuni, suggested on Facebook that something be done to reward the taxi driver beyond words of appreciation.
A number of people reacted to the Facebook post and reached out, willing to help.
Among them was Vice President Dr Bawumia, who donated GH¢20,000 to reward Mr. Ackon for his honesty and exemplary show of integrity.
Manasseh presented an additional GH¢2,500 from two other unnamed donors, making the total of GH¢22,500.
It pays to be honest, they say. But Kwesi Ackon did not believe it can be that literal.
On Easter Saturday, Isaac Ackon pulled up at the Malata market in Accra New Town. It was 8pm and a potential passenger had flagged him to a stop.
She wanted a taxi to Teshie. After negotiating a fare of 40 cedis, Isaac began a trip aimed at making sales to feed his wife and three children.
Isaac’s car is a rusty Nissan registered in 2013. Fumes from the pipe reveal a tired engine. He says because the car is old, it is hard to get passengers especially as taxi-riding services like Uber threatens to blow his taxi out of business.
He says there are several days when he makes losses and in a good week, he can make GH¢300.
On that Easter Saturday, after ending another day, he was checking through his car when he found a cloth tied over something. The cloth was dirty, like a rag. It smelled of fish. “I wanted to throw it away,” he told The Fourth Estate.
But restrained by a little curiosity, he unwrapped it and found several notes. It was money. “I didn’t count the money,” and neither did he count himself lucky.
He knew he had to return the money. He knew it must have belonged to the woman he picked at Malata Market. He said he couldn’t have returned the money immediately. It was already dawn.
On Easter Sunday, after worshipping at his church, The Church of Pentecost, he drove to Teshie and reunited a weeping trader with her money.
Asked what pushed him to do it, he said his religion, Christianity, did not permit him to do otherwise.
“If you are a Christian, you should always differentiate yourself from non-Christians,” he told The Fourth Estate.
Those who wish to support Kwesi Ackon can reach him on 0245 705 890.
God bless his good heart.
He’s done well!
Well deserved
Humanity
This is how Christianity is supposed to be practiced but not koo bibinii
The guy clearly stated that it was his Christian faith that made him to bring back the money. Not so surprisingly, you hardly see commentators praising the church for training somebody to reflect the nature of Christ but rather praising the man for being “a good person by nature”. If he had done something bad which got him arrested and had mentioned the church he attends, that is when you will see commentators on social media blasting the Church of Pentecost and Christians for breeding criminals in our society. At that time he will not be “a bad person by nature” That is when you will see some blinded folks advocating that we go back to “abosomsom” which brings discipline. Forgetting that armed robbers consult deities and perform rituals before going to rob people.
When we say Christianity is under covert and overt attack some people think it’s not true. If we cannot see some hidden and intense dislike for the Christian faith based on the conscious and unconscious strategy to belittle and ignore the impact of the Christian faith in transforming lives then I don’t know what will cause us to recognise this phenomenon.
It’s time for us as Christians to shake off the worldly behaviour and begin to put on the nature of Christ so that we overwhelm the world with the loud and deafening sound of the acts of Christ that will shut the mouth of the accuser of the brethren.
Excellent word Kojo, and very well expressed. This guy has done a beautiful thing and he boldly declares the source of his good character – Christ our Lord. This is only one of the millions of good works that God’s people are doing daily that play a huge part in upholding the nation and our world which in the main go ‘unnoticed.’ Those who have eyes shall see and those who have ears shall hear what our Lord is able to do with and through his people. The true Christ is still the hope for our nations.
God bless ? ? you my brother. In fact you’ve said it all
It’s his character not the church. There are so many church members who are armed robbers. So you see it’s the family character not a church teachings.
Well said.
Well said dear.
Is he koo broni?
God richly bless you in
An Integrious Man!
He demonstrated that he is an AGENT OF TRANSFORMATION. To possess the nation
Intergrity and honesty is very basic for true worship of God. We can’t ignore the role of Pentecost Church in his life. We can make the world a better place to live. He could have taken the money but look at how much he has gotten out of his sincerity. God bless him.
God bless him more ?
God bless you more ?
Wo yɛ papa a wo yɛ fa, wo yɛ bɔni a wo yɛ fa. Kind people do exist but once a politician is involved, I’m sorry to say, I don’t believe this story.
If it happened indeed then, God richly bless him.