Ayoade Ibrahim

“Talk to any driver and you hear the same arithmetic. The platform takes 25–30 percent commission. Then fuel. Then maintenance. Then insurance. Then the occasional fine. What remains is barely enough to feed a family, let alone save for the next repair. That is why so many drivers told us, as a union, that they had already migrated to Bolt and inDrive, or gone offline to negotiate cash trips simply to survive,”

Ayoade Ibrahim · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11

Ibrahim explained that drivers are squeezed by commissions, fuel, maintenance, and other costs, leading many to switch to competing platforms or negotiate cash trips.

“Uber’s model was built on independent contractors bearing almost all cash costs. In markets with stable fuel prices and accessible vehicle finance, that can work. In Nigeria, where the cost of a full tank can swing tens of thousands of naira in a month, it does not. Drivers become the shock absorbers for the macroeconomy.”

Ayoade Ibrahim · said date not stated · reported 2026-09-11

Ibrahim argued that Uber's model of independent contractors bearing cash costs fails in Nigeria due to volatile fuel prices.