In the last few years, Nigeria’s freight and logistics market has exploded.

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Every day, food, bags, shoes, clothes and countless other items ordered online move from vendors to consumers across cities and states.

Perhaps nowhere captures the scale of this transformation better than Lagos, the country’s commercial nerve centre where more than 20 million people live.

Stand at Oshodi Transport Interchange, Mile 2, Berger, or even at a random junction in Yaba or Lekki, and the movement becomes impossible to ignore. Riders on motorcycles weave through traffic. Others, drenched in sweat beneath the harsh afternoon sun, pedal bicycles carrying oversized delivery bags strapped to their backs.

According to industry estimates, Nigeria’s freight and logistics market is valued at more than $11 billion and is projected to exceed $15 billion by 2030, driven by e-commerce growth, smartphone penetration and rising demand for convenience in cities such as Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

But beneath the broader logistics boom lies an even faster-growing segment: online food delivery.

What they are saying

Glovo Nigeria, one of the country’s fastest-growing delivery platforms, said it delivered about 38 million items in 2025 alone.

Chowdeck, founded in October 2021, has grown into one of Nigeria’s most recognisable food delivery startups, recording more than 10 million deliveries and over 2.1 million users.

Those numbers translate into thousands of deliveries every hour across Lagos. They are made possible by an army of riders navigating flooded streets, crumbling roads and endless traffic, manoeuvring between danfo buses, trucks and impatient drivers to ensure meals arrive hot and on time.

Yet while they deliver convenience to millions of residents, many of these riders are themselves struggling with the rising cost of survival in one of Africa’s most expensive cities.

Nairametrics spoke with several riders across Lagos about what it truly costs to survive in the business of delivery. Their stories reveal a world of long hours, unstable earnings, fuel expenses, hire-purchase debts and the physical toll of navigating Lagos roads daily.

How much food delivery riders say they earn 

For many riders, earnings are unpredictable and depend heavily on the number of completed orders, distance covered, kind of vehicle used, and even weather conditions.

Henry, a Chowdeck bicycle rider in Lagos, said each delivery request appears instantly on riders’ phones, and whoever accepts first gets the order.

  • “How much a delivery driver earns depends on how many times he delivers a day,” he said. “When someone orders, it appears immediately on your phone, and the first person to accept the order would be the person to handle the delivery.”

For bicycle riders like him, every delivery means physically pedalling through Lagos traffic — sometimes across long distances under intense heat.

Unlike motorcycle riders who can cover wider areas faster, bicycle riders are often forced to rely almost entirely on physical endurance.

Henry said riders are paid largely based on distance.

  • “For every one kilometre, you are paid N1,000,” he explained, adding that riders can reject orders they consider too stressful or too far away.

On some days, he said, he completes as many as 14 deliveries. On slower days, he manages six. But completing at least 10 orders unlocks a performance bonus of about N4,900.

Assuming an average of 10 orders daily, Henry could gross between N10,000 and N15,000 per day before expenses, translating to roughly N300,000 to N450,000 monthly if he works consistently.

But unlike salaried work, those earnings fluctuate sharply depending on demand, rider availability and personal stamina.

Daniel, who rides a motorcycle for Glovo, said bike riders generally earn more because they can move faster and take more orders across longer distances.

  • “Per order, you can earn like N700, N1,000, N2,000 depending on the distance you are to cover,” he said.
  • “In a day, someone can make an average of N10,000, even up to N15,000. If you are using bike, you can make up to N30,000.” 

For highly active riders, weekly earnings can exceed N150,000, he said. But those figures come with steep operating costs.

Fuel expenses alone have become a major burden following the removal of petrol subsidies in 2023, and the recent hike in cost of petrol due to the conflict in the Middle East. Riders who spend the entire day on the road often refuel multiple times weekly, significantly cutting into earnings.

Then there is the cost of acquiring the motorcycle itself.

  • Most riders do not buy bikes outright. Instead, they obtain them through hire-purchase arrangements, paying in instalments over several months or years. According to listings on Jiji, brand new Qlink motorcycles — one of the brands commonly used by delivery riders — currently sell for between N1.2 million and N1.6 million depending on the model.
  • “The bike, nobody is providing it for you,” Daniel said. “You have to buy it yourself. Most of these bikes were bought on hire purchase. You’ll buy and be paying in instalments.” 

The pressure to keep working is therefore constant. Missing work for illness, fatigue or accidents can mean struggling to meet repayment obligations.

Getting and completing orders

Behind the brightly coloured delivery boxes seen across Lagos lies a highly competitive ecosystem where riders are constantly racing not just against traffic, but against one another.

Both Glovo and Chowdeck operate largely through mobile applications that assign orders to riders in real time. Once an order appears, riders have only seconds to accept before another rider claims it.

Henry said Chowdeck riders can choose whether or not to accept certain deliveries, especially when distances are too long or traffic conditions are difficult. But declining too many orders may also reduce earning opportunities during busy periods.

  • Chowdeck, which has grown rapidly since launching in 2021, reportedly works with more than 20,000 riders across Nigeria and Ghana, according to a post made by its co-founder, and CEO Femi Aluko.
  • The company has become especially popular among younger Lagos residents ordering meals from restaurants, supermarkets and local food vendors.

Glovo, meanwhile, operates a slightly different onboarding structure.

  • “Chowdeck will onboard you free,” Daniel said. “But for Glovo, they’ll collect N20,000 for onboarding.”  

However, responding to Nairametrics’ inquiry, Glovo Nigeria clarified that it does not charge all newly onboarded riders in every instance.

According to the company, onboarding payments are sometimes required through a fraud-protection mechanism designed to discourage fraudulent registrations and ensure that riders joining the platform are committed to working actively.

  • “When riders pay, they tend to be serious about their performance on the app,” said Oluwaseun Okungboye, Head of Commercial at Glovo Nigeria. “In many of these cases, we refund the money after the rider reaches 200 orders.” 

Okungboye also noted that Glovo provides riders with branded work materials at no cost, including shirts, delivery bags, helmets, and other onboarding kits.

  • “On the Glovo app, we give everything — all merchandise materials like branded shirts, bags, helmets, and other rider materials — for free,” he said.

Riders say onboarding fees often cover training, branded kits, and registration processes. After signing up, riders are expected to own or source their own motorcycles, bicycles, or tricycles.

Navigation is another crucial part of the work.

Because Lagos streets are notoriously difficult to navigate — with unclear addresses, poor road networks and frequent traffic diversions — riders depend heavily on digital maps and local road knowledge.

  • “First, the experience of road matters,” Kanu, a rider attached to AreaConnect, said. “You need to be familiar with Lagos roads. Then you have to know how to use Google Maps to help navigate Lagos.”

For many riders, survival in the industry depends on speed. The faster they complete orders, the more deliveries they can take, and the more bonuses they qualify for.

But speed also comes with danger. Riders routinely navigate narrow spaces between moving vehicles, drive during heavy rainfall and work late into the night to maximise earnings. Accidents, damaged bikes and police stops are common risks of the job.

  • “If you have your documents, you are free to go anywhere,” Daniel said, referring to the importance of carrying valid vehicle and rider documentation to avoid harassment from law enforcement officials.

Beyond food delivery riders 

Outside food delivery platforms lies another layer of Lagos’ growing logistics economy — independent courier and dispatch services moving parcels, documents and commercial goods across the city daily.

AreaConnect is one of several courier companies operating within this structure. Unlike food delivery platforms that rely heavily on app-based orders, courier firms often combine salary employment, hire-purchase arrangements and independent rider partnerships.

Kanu explained that AreaConnect offers multiple pathways into the business.

  • “For courier services like AreaConnect, they offer options,” he said. “A full-time job as a rider, hire-purchase of bike or keke from AreaConnect, or partnership with your own vehicle.” 

Under the hire-purchase model, riders remit agreed amounts monthly until ownership of the bike is transferred to them. But the arrangement comes with strict conditions.

  • “If you don’t meet your target, they’ll collect the bike from you, no matter how much you’ve spent,” he said.
  • For riders employed full-time, monthly salaries range from about N80,000 to N150,000 depending on workload and delivery volume.

But operating independently in Nigeria’s courier business requires more than simply owning a bike.

Under Nigerian regulations, courier and logistics businesses must operate with a license issued by Nigerian Postal Service, popularly known as NIPOST. The Courier and Logistics Regulatory Department license serves as the legal authorization required to run delivery operations in the country.

NIPOST licenses are not issued to individual riders directly, but to registered courier businesses employing or partnering with riders.

  • According to Kanu, riders partnering independently with AreaConnect pay between N25,000 and N30,000 monthly to operate under the company’s NIPOST license.
  • “So, you have to be attached to a courier service that has a NIPOST license,” he explained.

Current NIPOST licensing fees vary widely depending on the operational category. While state or SME courier licenses cost about N250,000 for new applications, national licenses cost N3 million, while international courier licenses can cost as high as N20 million.

Beyond licensing, motorcycle riders are also legally required to possess a Class A driver’s licence under the Nigerian Highway Code. The licence specifically certifies riders to operate motorcycles safely on public roads.

Together, licensing costs, documentation, fuel expenses and bike repayments form an invisible economic structure beneath the convenience economy enjoyed daily by millions of Lagos residents.

What it takes to survive as a rider in Lagos 

For many delivery riders, the struggle is not simply about making money, but about whether those earnings can meaningfully sustain life in Lagos.

  • A 2025 PiggyVest savings report found that about three in every 10 Nigerians earned below N100,000 monthly, making it the country’s largest income bracket. The report also showed that 28% of Nigerians reported having no income at all — a reflection of persistent economic hardship despite signs of growth in parts of the economy.

Against that backdrop, delivery riding has increasingly become both an opportunity and a survival mechanism, especially for young Nigerians navigating unemployment and rising living costs.

But surviving in Lagos remains expensive.

For bicycle riders like Henry, daily survival depends almost entirely on physical strength. Every additional order means more kilometres pedalled through heat, exhaust fumes and chaotic traffic.

For motorcycle riders like Daniel, the challenge is different. Fuel prices, maintenance costs and bike repayments steadily reduce take-home earnings, even when delivery volumes are high.

And for many courier riders operating under independent partnerships, the pressure to meet monthly remittances, licensing obligations and operating costs means there is little room for rest.

Still, thousands continue to flood the roads daily.