Transport and Liquor in Colonial Nigeria

Nigerians drank fermented low-alcohol beverages where they made them. An import trade in potent distilled alcohol rose to prominence during the 19C as drinking habits turned to strong liquor. Liquor became Nigeria's greatest import. Ironically, alcohol-drinking Nigerians financed a transport revolution. The British colonial administration taxed imported liquor to fund transport infrastructure improvements. Instead of concentrating on the building of these new transport systems, this article examines the distribution of a commodity - imported liquor - from coast to consumer. Liquor could be transported by a variety of means: canoes, trains, head-carriers, lorries, cars, even bicycles. The mobility of alcohol increased. Easier, faster, nation-wide transport clashed with the need to keep liquor out of the North, an internationally agreed prohibited area. The distribution of liquor provides a useful indicator of the significance of the transport revolution in Nigeria. (Original abstract)