It’s 3pm on Monday, and Goodnews is weaving through Lagos traffic on his scooter. He’s on his way to pick up a mango smoothie. It’s his sixth order of the day from the food delivery app, Chowdeck.
He is hoping to reach his target of 10 orders before the app closes for the day. If he succeeds, he’ll get paid an extra 3,000 naira. For Goodnews, every order is a gamble against the weather, the roads and the unexpected challenges that come with the job.
As we follow Goodnews along the streets of Lagos, we see how young Africans use gig work to find employment and gain independence. But we also see how vulnerable they are to being exploited in jobs with little or no regulation.
Goodnews is the son of farmers from Nigeria’s Niger Delta region. He has an engineering degree, but has always dreamed of becoming a published writer. When he moved to Lagos in search of better opportunities, he found himself trapped in low-paid security jobs. That is, until he discovered Chowdeck.
He explained: “I think somebody came to deliver an order, and I saw it as an opportunity.”
Now he spends his days delivering meals – mainly around the University of Lagos, weaving through busy streets and hoping every order brings him closer to stability.
Reporter Mo Isu spent a day with Goodnews and a group of 12 Chowdeck riders in Yaba, a neighbourhood in Lagos. Mo interviewed them between orders.
Through their stories, we hear not just the hustle behind every delivery, but also the questions about fairness, safety and what it means to have a job where your boss is essentially an app.
Across Lagos, Chowdeck has become a fixture of daily life. Ngozi Chukwu, a reporter from Tech Cabal, says it’s a productivity tool for young professionals. “People say it offers more flexibility to live the lives they want to live.”
The company’s growth mirrors the rise of Nigeria’s gig economy, where flexibility and fast payouts make delivery work one of the few viable options for thousands of young people shut out of formal jobs. But behind the convenience, researchers warn that riders face low pay, little protection, and a system where the algorithm makes all the rules.
By nightfall, the rain is still coming down as Goodnews pushes through his final orders, trying to reach his target for the day. How long can riders like Goodnews keep carrying the weight of convenience on their shoulders? Listen to Goodnews’s story here. DM