Nigeria Doesn't Lack Mechanics. It Lacks Structure.

Drivly founder Alfred Oriabure joined Simisola Lawal on Law FM Lagos last week, and left with an announcement: the company's waitlist is now open to drivers and roadside service providers ahead of launch.

Alfred told the station the idea came not from one breakdown but from a scene he kept living. "You break down in Lagos and suddenly you're negotiating with a stranger, at night, with no idea if the price is fair, if the person is qualified, or if your car will come back the same way it left," he said. "I can order food to my door in 20 minutes with full tracking, but if my car dies on the bridge, I'm back to shouting across traffic and praying. That gap didn't make sense to me."

His central argument was that Nigeria's roadside problem is structural, not technical. The country has no shortage of mechanics, vulcanisers, tow operators or auto electricians. What it lacks is a reliable way to reach them. "There's no standard pricing, so you get quoted based on how desperate you look," he said. "There's no verification, so anyone with a rope is a tow operator. And there's no accountability. If a job goes wrong, that person disappears back into traffic."

Drivly answers with fixed prices shown before a driver commits, providers verified through a 105-point framework, and a documented record for every job. Asked to walk through a breakdown on the Third Mainland Bridge at 9 PM, Alfred kept it simple. A driver taps the service they need, sees a fixed price with no haggling, and watches the nearest verified provider approach in real time by name, photo, ID number and live location. "You know exactly who's coming, when they'll arrive, and what it costs," he said. "That certainty is the product."

Verification drew the most detail. The 105-point framework is physical, not just digital: identity checks, in-person workshop visits, competence assessment by service category, and references from inside the trade. Drivly launches in Lagos with six services: flat tyre assistance, battery jump-start, towing, emergency fuel delivery, lockout support, and mobile mechanic call-outs.

Starting in Lagos is deliberate. "Lagos is the hardest test and the biggest prize," he said, citing the country's highest breakdown frequency and the dense clusters of providers the team can verify efficiently. Once the model proves out on provider density, response times and unit economics, Drivly plans to expand to Abuja, Port Harcourt and Ibadan. "We'd rather be excellent in one city than mediocre in six."

The waitlist, live at usedrivly.com, is open on both sides of the marketplace, and that is the point. A roadside platform only works when enough verified providers sit within minutes of a request, so early sign-ups decide where coverage is built first. Drivers who join get early access and a say in which services and routes come first. Providers who join, from mechanics and tow operators to vulcanisers, auto electricians and locksmiths, get a steady flow of job requests instead of waiting by the road, and can finish verification and collect their Drivly ID card before launch day.

Drivly is coming to Lagos. Be first. Drivers and roadside professionals, join the waitlist at usedrivly.com