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| Bola Tinubu |
The president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, narrates how a United States naval officer once slapped him when he was a taxi driver there for unintentionally overcharging him.
He made this shocking revelation in a biography that was published on the back page of the national daily, in which he shared his humble beginnings.
The biography, which was authored by a seasoned journalist, Mike Awoyinfa, is titled 'Tinubu: My Life as a Gypsy Cab Driver in the US."
In the story, Tinubu said he worked as an unlicensed taxi driver in Chicago, picking up clients from the airport and transporting them to their destinations.
The president stated that the driving job was intended to help him financially before he went to school.
The president narrated, “We got an unregistered used car commonly called Gypsy, which we ran as a taxi. We operated at the airport where we picked passengers, and not anywhere else, like the hotel because it was forbidden for unlicensed cab drivers to do so.
We did that for a while to raise some money. Bolaji went to Tennessee, while I headed for Chicago.
“I was supposed to have started schooling in April. I deferred it till September in order to have more money. Immediately I got to Chicago, I went straight to Richard Daley College. It was very interesting.
“I was able to pay for my apartment and tuition fees at Chicago State University. I supplemented that by doing different menial jobs like door guard and security man.”
Speaking further about the incident, he stated that the naval officer he was carrying slapped him on the face because he overcharged him because his destination was nearby.
“As a cab driver, one experience I will never forget was when I over-charged a naval officer who was returning to the country. It was not intentional,” Tinubu said.
“Apparently, I didn’t know the direction. There was no GPRS in those days to locate directions. So, he gave me the direction to his house in a Virginia suburb.
“I gave him the price and the man responded with a slap to my face. He said I should know the correct price to charge to the location he mentioned. He slapped me and gave me the money.”