During Nigeria's colonial period, there is local lore about a peculiar transport rule requiring drivers of motor vehicles to carry a whistle at all times. The purpose was to ensure that drivers could audibly warn pedestrians and other traffic participants, especially in busy urban areas with limited traffic signals. While there is no definitive legal documentation publicly available confirming this rule, numerous oral histories from various Nigerian regions recall enforcement efforts involving whistle-carrying drivers. This regulation, if true, reflected an early attempt at traffic control in growing cities, combining auditory signals with the still rudimentary road infrastructure. Though absent from contemporary Nigerian traffic laws, the idea of whistle signals from drivers remains a curious reminder of past transport customs. The notion reflects how colonial administrations sometimes imposed unusual regulations adapted to local contexts, some of which linger in collective memory despite lacking formal codification today.
Source / verification note
Drawn from local oral histories and anecdotal accounts documented in regional transport heritage articles; no concrete legislative record found.