Thousands of app-based drivers across Lagos are set to withdraw their services on May 1, 2025, as the Amalgamated Union of App-Based Transporters of Nigeria (AUATON) intensifies its standoff with major ride-hailing platforms. The 24-hour strike targets industry giants Uber, Bolt, inDrive, Rida, and Lagride over alleged exploitation and worsening work conditions.
The union, through its Lagos chapter, confirmed the protest in a strongly worded statement on Tuesday, with Public Relations Officer Steven Iwindoye accusing the companies of “deliberate oppression” and “corporate dictatorship.” The move marks the latest escalation in a growing labour crisis that has plagued Nigeria’s gig economy since 2023.
Drivers will go completely offline during the industrial action, aiming to disrupt service across major cities. They are demanding better pay, an end to arbitrary driver deactivations, and safer working environments. Iwindoye also criticized the use of facial recognition surveillance and lack of proper rider identity verification, calling them “intrusive and reckless.”
AUATON alleges that drivers now earn as little as ₦500 per hour after commission deductions, fuel costs, and other levies. Industry insiders say app companies take between 20% to 25% commission per trip, leaving many drivers operating at a loss, especially with Nigeria’s current petrol price hovering at ₦670 per litre.
Efforts to engage Uber and Bolt in dialogue reportedly collapsed earlier this year. According to Iwindoye, all attempts at negotiation were met with “deliberate silence,” pushing the union to adopt direct action. He emphasized that the protest is not just local, but part of a wider push for global recognition of gig workers’ rights.
Union leaders are also engaging media outlets, international labour organizations, and civil society groups to amplify their demands. Iwindoye insisted that the planned strike was a necessary show of unity, saying, “We are no longer faceless app icons — we are workers with rights and voices.”
May 1, traditionally celebrated as International Workers’ Day, is expected to see mass mobilization in Lagos and possibly in Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan, depending on union coordination. AUATON says it will release a full list of demands after the shutdown and pursue long-term negotiations to end what they term “digital-age slavery.”
