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“I mistakenly overcharged a naval officer and he slapped me” – President Tinubu shares his unforgettable experience as a cab driver

Published

1 year ago

June 26, 2023

President Bola Tinubu has recounted a moment as a young cab driver in the United States that he will never forget.

This came to light as he described his lowly beginnings in a biography that was printed on the back page of a national newspaper where he mentioned how a Navy officer had slapped him for accidentally overcharging him.

Seasoned journalist, Mike Awoyinfa wrote the biography titled, ‘Tinubu: My Life as a Gypsy Cab Driver in the US’.

In the narrative, Tinubu claimed to have driven unlicensed taxis in Chicago, Illinois, picking up passengers from the airport and transporting them to their destinations.

The president stated that the driving job was intended to support him financially while he was attending school.

He 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.

As a cab driver, one experience I will never forget was when I over-charged a naval officer returning to the country. It was not intentional.

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.”