Lagos driver who sleeps under bridge and drives Lexus for "big man" says he will still vote for Tinubu despite hardship

• A Lagos driver says he sleeps under a bridge despite driving a Lexus for his employer.

• The driver says his employer knows about his living conditions but “doesn’t care”.

• Despite complaining about hardship and politicians abandoning Nigerians after elections, he says he will vote for Tinubu.

A Lagos driver who says he sleeps under a bridge every night has sparked conversations online after revealing that he drives a Lexus for a wealthy employer while struggling to afford a place to live.

In a video circulating online, the unidentified man, whose profession was first mistaken for being a teacher due to his appearance, described his daily reality. He explained that his employer knows he sleeps under the bridge but has done little to change his situation.

“I’m a driver and I sleep under this bridge every day. I drive a big man in Lagos here, a Lexus. He knows I live under this bridge but he doesn’t care,” he said.

His story also took a political turn when he spoke about the way politicians relate to people struggling to survive.

“Politicians only need us during elections like this; after the election, they abandon us,” he said.

As he spoke, someone in the background prepared a meal over a small fire, using two stones to balance a stainless-steel bowl above the flames. Several other men, who appeared to be living in the same area, gathered around and listened to the conversation.

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Yet, despite his complaints about hardship and abandonment, the driver said he would still support President Bola Tinubu.

“We’re suffering but I’ll vote Tinubu,” he said.

That part of his statement has attracted particular attention online, with some people questioning why someone who says he is struggling would continue to support the president, while others have focused more on the circumstances he described.

The contradiction is what makes the story striking. It is easy to assume that economic hardship should automatically determine someone's political choice, but people rarely make decisions based on one issue alone. 

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His statement is a reminder that voters can be dissatisfied with their circumstances while still choosing to support the political leader or party they believe in.

The video also highlights a harsh reality for many workers in Lagos: having a job does not always mean being able to afford a decent place to live.

With the current ₦70,000 minimum wage, workers still have to stretch their earnings across food, transport, rent and other daily expenses. This has made achieving financial security difficult for some even when they are employed.

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For this driver, the fact that he operates a luxury vehicle for someone else says little about his own financial situation.

The driver's comments have therefore become about more than his stated political choice. They have opened another window into the lives of low-income workers in Lagos, many of whom work in the city without necessarily being able to afford the basic comforts that the city promises.