Josephine Ugwu likens recent events concerning her to the temptation of Jesus Christ by Satan in the mountains when he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.

First, she discovered the sum of N3, 000, 000, forgotten by a passenger, on duty while cleaning the Murtala Muhammad International Airport, her place of employ – the first temptation. Its owner no doubt wise in the way of Nigeria, considered it lost never to be found.

Later in the same year, she discovered N600, 000 under similar circumstances. More recently, and the third temptation- she discovered $28, 000 and other foreign currencies which after conversion came to about N12, 000, 000.

Every single time, she returned the money to airport authorities. Like Jesus was mocked by Satan for his faith, Josephine was mocked for her honesty.

I may not go so far as to call her a saint but her acts are something to be revered.

Until recently she was earning N7, 800 per month. She now earns N15, 000. To add to this earning, she collects discarded bottles at the airport and sells to women who need them to sell palm oil, groundnut oil. She makes N6, 000 from this weekly. She diverts the money of these bottle sales to cook food for airport staff, to make money from that as well.

By all estimation, she is a woman of meagre living, beneath any acceptable economic standard or decency. She indeed was sorely tempted. She could have converted the money. She could have made a better life for herself. She could have been a Nigerian.

I spoke to a number of people who agree that yes, indeed, she could have. That she should have. They stressed that we live in a country that does not reward good-doing, that she could not have been blamed if she kept that money to herself. That perhaps she would have hurt no one by keeping the money. When one learns of what she earned monthly, she needed it after all. How is N7, 800 acceptable pay?

It is for these reasons that Josephine Ugwu should win this award. First, to teach these people and the rest of us – I, included – that indeed there can be a reward for good-doing. And by her winning, to prove to all, the value of honesty, to provide an opportunity for many to be impacted through her life and story, with the publicity that comes with the award no doubt. To show that a life can be a lesson. In her winning and her story being amplified, she really will be rewarding others.

She should also win for other reasons.

I found it particularly ironic that this woman who found money who didn’t belong to her was rewarded with monetary gifts and an increment – though, abominable – in salary. It seems to me that this only reinforces the psyche in Nigeria, that money is the ultimate reward, that it is the ultimate validation of self or effort. How about adding value to her life that will last her more than extra cash to buy food with? How about a promotion if shes qualified? If she isn’t how about adult education?

Also, it doesn’t escape me that her inclusion on lists like this is token, usually a feel-good way to round up the list, someone – read as anyone – who ticks the box for the decidedly less consequential category of ‘Citizenry’. But let us talk about this list.

In my opinion, a ‘Person of the Year’ title or award should go to a ‘person’ who has been most exemplary in being a human being, in character, for his / herself; in impact, on the lives of others. It should not be judged by what they do for a living, or what profile or status they exist in.

For far too long what has been regarded as exemplary in Nigeria is legally or otherwise outsmarting others to get to the finish line first, no matter who is maimed in the process, political bullying, and living off a government’s largess which is masked as owning many businesses. This is now dressed up as being ‘politically strategic’.

Exemplary in Nigeria is a man who rightly admits electoral defeat as if he constitutionally had a choice not to, and in choosing to, is believed to have blessed the nation with his benevolence of spirit, of camaraderie.

This cannot continue to stand.

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Op-ed pieces and contributions are the opinions of the writers only and do not represent the opinions of Y!/YNaija

Ayodeji Rotinwa is a pop-culture enthusiast, creative writer and columnist with This Day (Style) Newspapers.