President Tinubu: Why A Naval Officer Slapped Me In US

President Bola Tinubu disclosed that, while working as a taxi driver in the United States, a military officer once slapped him for mistakenly overcharging the man.

This was made known when he described his humble beginnings in a biography that was printed on the back page of a major daily.

The veteran writer Mike Awoyinfa wrote the autobiography, Tinubu: My life as Gypsy Cab Driver In the US’, was authored by Mike Awoyinfa, a seasoned journalist.

In the narrative, Tinubu claimed to have driven illegal taxis in Chicago, Illinois, picking up clients and transporting them to their destinations.

The president claimed 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.”

Speaking further about the incident, he claimed that the naval commander he was carrying slapped him in the face because he overcharged for the trip even though his destination was close by.

“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.”