Abideen Olasupo - The Yoruba man who returned $2,397 credited to account in error
Olasupo Abideen Opeyemi was born on October 17, 1993, in Ifon, Osun State. He attended Grace Nursery and Primary School, Ilobu, and Al-Mansoor Model College for his primary and secondary school education respectively. He then proceeded to the University of Ilorin where he studied chemistry.
First of five boys, Olasupo took up adult responsibilities at a tender age. “I started assisting my mum in her petty trade at the age of 13,” he told FIJ. “I hawked sachet water and notebooks till I finished secondary school.
“My dad would always tell us stories. They were mostly stories narrated to him by his father. They were always about having good virtues. He told us never to lie to people, never to think of money ritual or take things that did not belong to us and, ultimately, never to do things that would tarnish our family image and name.”
He also told FIJ about an interesting exercise her mum always carried out whenever he and his siblings returned from school. “She checked our bags whenever we returned from school. At first, I did not understand why she did it. But later, I found out that it was not only a way of making sure that our books and pencils were intact, but to also make sure we didn’t return with things that didn’t belong to us,” Olasupo said.
Olasupo Abideen got into controversy on Nigerian social media when he returned $2,397 to an organisation that overpaid him for consulting services.
The entrepreneur was the object of much criticism, and some even cursed him, for returning manna which had come directly to him. He not only ignored his critics, but also preached that Nigerians can write a better history of honesty, and tell the world that sincere Nigerians exist, against the common notion.
Amidst insults, Olasupo clung to the virtues he had learnt from his parents while growing up, not knowing that his gesture on December 11 was noted and he would receive the Gani Fawehinmi Impact and Integrity Award for it.
The entrepreneur said he was happy that the Gani Fawehinmi Foundation recognised his gesture and gave him an award.
“Some abused me for returning the money, saying it was God’s way of boosting my financial needs. Others cursed the organisation for not rewarding honesty by giving me the money. Only a few people appreciated the gesture,” Olasupo said.
Olasupo is the founder of Knowcovid19 and Yvotenaija, non-governmental organisations.
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