This happened in Ibaraki, Japan, in the evening of 19th June 2020. While on his way home, Ikenna Nweke, a Nigerian Doctorate Student of Tsukuba Univesity, found a wallet containing "a huge sum of money, a credit card, and other valuables". While some people in his shoes may have regarded the finding as sheer luck, Mr. Nweke did not only hand-in the wallet to the police but declined a reward - 10% (ten percent) of the money to which he is legally entitled.

The owner of the wallet was informed by police to collect it and he personally called and thanked Mr. Nweke. A week later, the Ibaraki police wrote a letter to the Nigerian PhD student commending him for his honesty. The Nigerian Embassy in Tokyo also issued a Letter of Commendation to the honest examplary Nigerian. 

In a video obtained by AIT (African Independent Television), Ikenna Nweke had a word of advice to share:

“Here is a message for every Nigerian that should maintain, protect the image of our nation wherever we are. Especially those in diaspora, we are the Nigerian people know. When we do something bad abroad it reflects on the image of the nation.

“This is a message for non-Nigerians who think that every Nigerian is a criminal. That is not true. Nigeria is a country of about 200 million people. Two hundred million wonderful people.

“There are some criminal elements in Nigeria, I must admit, and these criminal elements are found in every part of the world. These criminal elements are just a tiny fraction, they do not represent who we are, they do not speak for us. They are not a true reflection of who Nigerians are.”

Ikenna Nweke's deeds went far and wide and all the way to Aso Rock where the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria issued a statement through his spokesman which praised Nweke's action and its reflection on Nigeria's reputation as being a “positive spotlight and close-up on its real values, clearly signposts what should hold the nation together, inspired by solid foundations laid by most families, religious bodies and communities for success in life.”

According to the statement signed by the spokesman, the president wishes Nweke the best in his studies and teaching assistance while "urging all Nigerians, home and abroad, to keep celebrating the age-old, irreplaceable attributes of honesty and decorum, and shun the microwaved, get-rich-quick tendencies that bring individual and collective shame” 

Hon Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Chairmain/CEO of NIDCOM (Nigerians in Diaspora Commission) also joined in commending Ikenna Nweke. “Honesty remains the best policy. We must exhibit such behaviour in whatever position we find ourselves.That is the path we have chosen to take, and our country will eventually get to a new shore,” he said. 

The Honesty has indeed taken Ikenna Nweke along with Nigeria's reputation to new shores. Since the incident, the PhD student who moved to Japan on scholarship in 2013 has been featured in multiple Nigerian media, Japanese newspapers and had a short documentary done on him in Japan.