A year after Chowdeck CEO Femi Aluko said delivery riders on the platform earn an average of ₦100,000 weekly, a closer look at riders’ experiences suggests that the figure does not necessarily represent what most workers take home.
Aluko made the statement during a Channels Television interview, explaining that rider earnings depend largely on the number of deliveries completed and the distance covered. He said riders could complete around 10 to 15 deliveries a day and potentially earn more than ₦100,000 a week.
The claim recently resurfaced online, generating debate about how much delivery riders actually make and how much remains after operating expenses.
To examine the issue, Techpoint Africa spoke informally with nine Chowdeck riders in Lagos, Abuja and Ibadan. Their responses showed substantial differences in earnings, working hours, vehicles and expenses. Importantly, none of the nine riders described ₦100,000 as a typical weekly income.
Some riders, however, said the figure is achievable. One Abuja motorcycle rider reported withdrawing ₦150,000 in a week, although he said fuel costs came out of that amount. Another Ibadan rider said he could reach ₦100,000 while completing as many as 17 trips a day.
In Lagos, the picture was more varied. One motorcycle rider said he typically completes six to seven orders daily and is left with about ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 weekly after expenses. Another rider said he could make about ₦80,000 in a week but spent roughly ₦20,000 on fuel.
For bicycle riders, reported earnings were generally lower. One rider described ₦50,000 in weekly gross earnings as reasonable, while another said he earns about ₦7,000 per day but only works when his schedule allows. A different rider said Chowdeck contributes just ₦20,000 to ₦30,000 of his weekly income, with other delivery platforms providing the remainder.
The interviews also point to the importance of distinguishing gross earnings from take-home income. Riders have to account for fuel, food, vehicle maintenance, tyres, repairs and other costs. For motorcycle riders, fuel can represent a significant portion of weekly earnings, while bicycle riders still face maintenance and feeding expenses.
Order volume appears to be another important factor. One rider reported completing around 20 trips a day last year but now averages about 10. Another argued that the increasing number of riders on the platform has intensified competition for available deliveries.
Chowdeck has not publicly provided additional clarification on whether its ₦100,000 figure represents gross or net earnings, which riders it covers, or how the average has changed over the past year. Techpoint Africa said the company had not responded to questions on these points at the time of publication.
The findings do not establish the average income of Chowdeck’s wider rider network. The company has around 20,000 riders, making nine informal interviews insufficient to represent the entire population.
What they do show is that rider earnings vary considerably. ₦100,000 a week appears achievable for some workers, particularly those completing high numbers of deliveries, but the experiences reported by the riders interviewed do not establish it as a typical take-home income.
For Nigeria’s growing gig economy, that distinction matters. The headline figure tells only part of the story; workload, vehicle type, order availability and the costs of staying on the road all shape what riders ultimately earn.
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