Salary benchmark
For Software Engineer roles
in Nigeria at mid level,
the typical pay range is NGN 600K-1.5M / month.
Use this as a floor when negotiating — top performers in this market routinely
land 15–30% above the median.
Working in Nigeria
Nigeria has the largest formal labour pool in Africa — and the most intense competition for graduate roles. With ~1.8 million graduates entering the labour market each year and formal-sector hiring concentrated in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt, the gap between credentials and shortlist outcome is decided by positioning more than by qualifications.
My Job Concierge tracks live roles across banking, telecoms, oil-and-gas, FinTech, FMCG, NGOs, technology, manufacturing, and the most active startup ecosystem on the continent. Lagos remains the …
Interview formats are structured at large employers (banks, telcos, consulting) and conversational at smaller ones. Expect aptitude tests + competency interviews + a final panel for graduate trainee programmes. Professional networks (alumni, NYSC batch, professional associations) are more decisive in Nigeria than in most African markets — referrals carry real weight even at multinationals.
More about jobs in Nigeria →
How to apply for Engineering roles
Engineering applications are won on evidence — what you've shipped, what scaled, what broke. Recruiters skim for nouns (languages, frameworks) but hire on verbs (built, deployed, debugged).
- Open the JD with your CV next to it. Highlight every noun in the JD — language, framework, system. Anything missing from your CV that you actually have is a 30-second add.
- Quantify three outcomes. Latency cut by X%. Throughput raised to Y. Engineers reading your CV want numbers.
- Link a portfolio or one repo. One real, recent, non-trivial repo beats a portfolio of toys. Pin it on GitHub.
- Send the application Tuesday-Thursday morning local time. Engineering pipelines reset Mondays; mid-week submissions get reviewed faster.
- Follow up after 7 days, once. A polite, specific email — not 'just checking in'. Reference one detail from the JD.