A recent investigation by The Nigeria Education News has uncovered a startling trend: ride-hailing drivers in Nigeria, particularly those working with Uber and Bolt, are taking home significantly higher monthly earnings than teachers and even some doctors in the country’s public system. The findings raise critical questions about Nigeria’s wage priorities and the impact this has on brain drain in vital sectors like healthcare and education.
Interviews conducted with drivers in Lagos and Abuja revealed that a full-time Uber or Bolt driver can make between ₦350,000 and ₦500,000 monthly after expenses. One driver in Lagos, who requested anonymity, disclosed that he works 10 to 12 hours daily and earns “more than double what my cousin, a secondary school teacher in Osun State, brings home.” This disclosure reflects a broader reality where convenience-based services are valued more highly than life-saving or knowledge-building professions.
On the education side, a government-employed graduate teacher in Ekiti confirmed earning about ₦70,000 monthly. “Sometimes we wait for months before salaries are paid,” he added. The frustration was evident, as he compared his wage to that of drivers. “If a driver without a degree can make half a million naira a month, what motivation do I have to stay in teaching?” he asked bitterly.
Doctors from Uniosun Teaching Hospital, Osogbo share similar grievances. According to the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), the average monthly salary of a medical doctor in a public hospital is between ₦200,000 and ₦300,000. Many doctors say they are often overworked with inadequate facilities, yet underpaid compared to the risk and value of their work. A young doctor at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, told The Nigeria Education News: “It feels like society only remembers our importance when there’s an emergency. Beyond that, we are treated like we are expendable.”
The disparity explains the continuing exodus of professionals. Nigeria has lost over 15,000 doctors to the UK, Canada, and Saudi Arabia in the past five years, according to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). Teachers are also leaving in droves, with many taking up private tutoring or migrating abroad in search of better pay. These patterns suggest that the system is pushing its brightest minds away while rewarding informal hustle.
Critics argue, however, that comparing Uber and Bolt drivers with professionals like teachers and doctors is flawed. “The real problem is not that ride-hailing drivers earn more,” said a Lagos-based economist. “The problem is that teachers and doctors earn less than they should. The comparison we should be making is with politicians who are paid millions for little or no output.”
Indeed, Nigeria’s National Assembly members are among the highest-paid lawmakers in the world, with annual allowances running into hundreds of millions of naira. Meanwhile, a teacher shaping the minds of future leaders earns less than the average bolt driver, and a doctor saving lives cannot afford the lifestyle of even a mid-level government official.
The investigation also found that many Uber and Bolt drivers are graduates themselves. Some had abandoned teaching or other low-paying jobs for ride-hailing because the earnings were better. One driver in Abuja, formerly a biology teacher, explained: “I quit teaching when my salary couldn’t cover my rent. Driving Bolt may not be prestigious, but it pays my bills and puts food on the table.”
This reality creates a vicious cycle: the education system loses qualified teachers to the transport sector, while hospitals lose doctors to foreign countries. The long-term consequences include declining quality of education, worsening healthcare outcomes, and continued dependence on expatriates in critical sectors.
The findings also highlight how underfunding of education and healthcare is at the root of the problem. While Nigeria spends less than 7% of its annual budget on education and less than 5% on health, the United Nations recommends at least 15–20% for education and 15% for health. The gap between international standards and Nigeria’s actual spending shows why salaries and facilities remain inadequate.
In response, some stakeholders insist that Nigerians themselves also undervalue teachers and doctors. Parents often hesitate to pay higher school fees, and patients balk at hospital charges, yet they willingly pay for ride-hailing services daily. A public affairs analyst in Abuja remarked: “Nigerians are quick to negotiate a doctor’s fee but will pay a Bolt surge price without argument. It shows where our cultural priorities lie.”
The human cost of this imbalance is devastating. Stories abound of hospitals demanding ₦500,000 deposits before commencing treatment, a policy doctors say has become necessary in a system where survival is personal. Teachers, meanwhile, often resort to petty trading, part-time jobs, or even ride-hailing themselves to supplement meagre incomes.
Experts warn that unless urgent reforms are made, Nigeria’s best brains will continue to exit, leaving the country with weak education and health systems. Improving salaries for teachers and doctors, increasing budgetary allocations, and curbing the excesses of political salaries are among the most urgent steps proposed.
Ultimately, the investigation shows that Uber and Bolt drivers are not the villains, they are hardworking Nigerians thriving in a system that rewards hustle. The real scandal lies in how little Nigeria pays its teachers and doctors, forcing them either to abandon their professions or to seek greener pastures abroad. Until this imbalance is corrected, brain drain will remain not just a possibility but an inevitability.
