I Spent a Week With Lagos's Delivery Riders. The Gig Economy Isn't a Ladder — It's a Treadmill
The apps promise flexibility and dignity. On the ground in Ikeja and Surulere, riders describe fuel debts, algorithmic pay cuts, and a bargain that keeps them running faster just to stand still. A reported tribune.
I want to tell you about Emeka, because I cannot stop thinking about his calculator. He is 24, he rides a battered okada for two food-delivery platforms at once, and every night before he sleeps in the room he shares in Mushin, he does arithmetic. Gross earnings, minus fuel, minus phone data, minus the small "maintenance" he owes the man who fronted him the bike. What is left, on a good day, is not much more than what a labourer makes. On a bad day it is less. I spent a week riding alongside people like Emeka because I had grown tired of writing about the gig economy from a laptop. The pitch d…
Audio version
Aminata Diallo
Léa Dubois-Kouassi
Discussion
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Log in to comment- Grace Konaté11 mai 2026
Great reporting — the details make it.
- Aminata Owusu13 mai 2026
Finally, a nuanced take on this. Bookmarked.
- Moussa Konaté14 mai 2026
This speaks to the diaspora experience so precisely.
- Aminata Owusu19 mai 2026
This speaks to the diaspora experience so precisely.
- Modou Ekra30 mai 2026
This speaks to the diaspora experience so precisely.
- Camille Eze2 juin 2026
This speaks to the diaspora experience so precisely.
- Leïla Okafor2 juin 2026
Powerful piece. Sharing with everyone.
- Moussa Tshimanga3 juin 2026
More of this, please. Subscribed.
- Rachid Hailu15 juin 2026
Powerful piece. Sharing with everyone.
- Kofi Owusu19 juin 2026
The historical context here is gold.
- Grace Camara20 juin 2026
The historical context here is gold.
- Kwabena Chukwu21 juin 2026
Great reporting — the details make it.
- Sarah Kasongo26 juin 2026
Sharp and necessary. Thank you.
- Divine Touré1 juillet 2026
More of this, please. Subscribed.
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