Seun Adedokun Okunade
This study explores the construction of identity and belief systems through inscriptions found on commercial vehicles in Yorubaland, South-western Nigeria. Many factors have influenced the belief systems and cultural identity of the Yoruba people, and these belief systems cannot be dichotomised from what constitutes their perception and identity. Commercial vehicles, such as taxis, buses, and trucks, often display printed sayings, proverbs, religious verses, and popular maxims that offer insights into the worldview and lived experiences of their owners and drivers. The work employed a qualitative methodology using primary and secondary sources, including interviews, newspapers, vehicle inscriptions, books, journals, and internet materials. These inscriptions are mobile texts that serve as expressive tools for self-identification, self-protection, moral instruction, and spiritual invocation. This has had a positive impact on the owner businesses, their patronage, and their popularity. This paper reconstructs the past, contributing to the aspect of transport and inscription histories. The paper underscores the role of vehicle owners, inscriptions and belief systems as historical material artefacts, highlighting the power of culture and identity in shaping collective memory, public perception, and the identity of the Yoruba people