A year-old video clip of Chowdeck CEO Femi Aluko just set Nigeria’s internet on fire after quietly resurfacing on X in September 2026. During a 2025 Channels Television appearance that drew fewer than 2,000 views, Aluko said bicycle riders on his platform earn ₦100,000 weekly on average.
The footage has since accumulated more than 3 million impressions, splitting Nigerian audiences sharply between believers and skeptics. Nine riders across three cities were asked whether their CEO’s earnings claim holds up on the street.
What 9 riders told Techpoint Africa about Chowdeck’s ₦100K figure
Techpoint Africa tested Aluko’s claim by interviewing riders during live deliveries in three cities and published its findings on September 16, 2026. Nearly all nine riders agreed that earning ₦100,000 in a strong week is achievable with enough volume, distance, and favorable delivery conditions.
Note: All rider names in this article are pseudonyms assigned by Techpoint Africa to protect the identity of sources interviewed during active deliveries.
However, not a single rider described that amount as a normal or guaranteed weekly income they could rely on from the platform. Emmanuel Tega, a bicycle rider working in Lagos, told the publication that ₦50,000 per week better reflects what most riders actually take home.
“Many riders are disappointed with Aluko for that statement and it’s not true,” Tega said in his interview during an active delivery run. He added that riders earning ₦100,000 represent a small minority of the roughly 20,000 people delivering on the platform across Nigerian cities.
Why Chowdeck’s bicycle riders fell short of the CEO’s claim
The most striking finding centered on bicycle riders, the exact group Aluko referenced in his original Channels Television interview about rider pay. No bicycle rider in the entire investigation reported actually earning ₦100,000 in any single week during their time on the platform.
Usman Busari, a bicycle rider in Lagos, told reporters he earns roughly ₦20,000 to ₦30,000 weekly from Chowdeck alone through his daily delivery routes. He only reaches the ₦100,000 benchmark by combining income from multiple delivery platforms, not from Chowdeck as a standalone earning source.
Busari now averages just 10 trips per day, down from 20 a year earlier, a decline he attributes to the platform constantly onboarding new riders. Rilwan Balogun, a motorcycle rider in Lagos, confirmed that Chowdeck adds riders frequently enough that one person’s orders now split among three.
Motorcycle riders in Abuja told a different story
Stephen Ajibose, a motorcycle rider based in Abuja, offered a contrasting data point by confirming he withdrew ₦150,000 in a single recent week. His case suggests that motorcycle riders in cities with better road infrastructure and shorter delivery distances can more consistently exceed the ₦100,000 figure.
Gbenga Badmus, a motorcycle rider in Lagos, laughed when asked about the ₦100,000 claim and said he takes home ₦10,000 to ₦20,000 weekly after covering fuel and food costs. The contrast between Ajibose and Badmus illustrates how widely earnings can swing depending on vehicle type, city, and individual hustle.
What the Chowdeck earnings gap reveals for Nigeria’s gig workers
The rider earnings debate arrives as Nigeria’s expanding gig economy absorbs workers who struggle to find stable employment through more traditional channels. The national minimum wage sits at ₦70,000 per month, meaning ₦100,000 per week would place a rider among the top earners nationwide, Trading Economics data confirmed.
The PiggyVest Savings Report 2025 found that only 42% of Nigerians earn above ₦100,000 per month, making consistent weekly pay at that level exceptionally rare. Riders maintaining ₦400,000 monthly from deliveries would land in an income bracket that only 10% of Nigerians occupy, the report indicated.
Chowdeck itself has grown rapidly since launching in October 2021, operating across 11 cities as of August 2025 with 1.5 million customers and more than 22,000 active riders by the end of that year. The company closed a $9 million Series A round in August 2025 led by Novastar Ventures with Y Combinator participating, TechCrunch reported.
Key findings from Techpoint Africa’s Chowdeck rider investigation
- Nearly all 9 riders said ₦100,000 weekly is achievable but none described it as a typical or guaranteed income, the investigation found.
- No bicycle rider in the study reported earning ₦100,000 in any single week while working on the Chowdeck delivery platform.
- One Abuja motorcycle rider withdrew ₦150,000 in a week, while a Lagos bicycle rider reported earning just ₦20,000 to ₦30,000 weekly.
- Multiple riders cited frequent onboarding of new riders as a force shrinking per-person delivery volumes and earnings over the past year.
- Nigeria’s minimum wage sits at ₦70,000 per month, making ₦100,000 weekly roughly six times the national floor, Trading Economics noted.
