EXPLORING THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTRIBUTIONS OF PRE-COLONIAL NON-MECHANISED TRANSPORT SYSTEMS IN ILORIN EMIRATE

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Transport and transportation systems in pre-colonial Africa were important aspects of Nigeria’s pre-colonial socio-economic history. Prior to the period of colonial rule and the introduction of mechanised transport systems, the movement of goods and services across domestic and national borders was not alien to Nigerian pre-colonial societies. As against the colonial historiography which described pre-colonial transport and transportation systems as primitive, backward, and incapable of supporting economic growth and development, the article demonstrates, through a thorough examination of pre-colonial transport and transportation systems in the Ilorin Emirate, that such arguments are untrue. Ilorin Emirate, like other pre-colonial towns, has a record of different pre-colonial transportation systems in operation to support its economic growth, trade and market systems, and inter-economic relations. Among the pre-colonial transportation systems widely used in the Ilorin Emirate were the Porterage system and the use of animal packs (camel, horses, and donkeys). These identified pre-colonial non-mechanised transport systems contributed significantly to the growth and development of the Ilorin Emirate. Through these transportation systems, revenues were generated through tolls and taxes, and the expansion of trade and markets, among others, were experienced. The paper relies on primary and secondary sources of data to interrogate the contributions of pre-colonial non-mechanised transport systems.