A swamp full of dollars

Nigeria is a country where petroleum prices and polio are both booming, where small villages challenge giant oil companies, and scooter drivers run their own mini-state. The oil-rich Delta region at the heart of it all is, as Peel shows us, a troublespot as hot as the local pepper soup. Through a host of characters, from the prostitutes of Port Harcourt to the Area Boys of Lagos, from the militants in their swamp forest hide-outs to the oil company executives in London, Peel tells the story of this extraordinary country, which grows ever more wild and lawless by the day as its crude oil pumps through our cities. "Most Westerners are terrified of Nigeria. Journalist Michael Peel, in contrast, clearly revels in the countryżsrich chaos, savouring its driving energy and many contradictions. Plunging fearlessly into its oil-polluted swamps, hob-nobbing with guerrilla commandos, hearing the tales of trafficked prostitutes and Lagosż formidable area boys, he produces a detailed, compassionate portrait of a bubbling West African nation which is certain to demand ever more of our attention as the worldżs hunger for oil grows." - Michela Wrong 'Russia is an enigmatic petrochemical power with a population of 140 million; Nigeria is an enigmatic petrochemical power with a population of 140 million. Last year the British Library added almost 500 new Russia-related titles to its collection, and fewer than three dozen about Nigeria. For that reason alone Michael Peel's new book deserves a cheer" - James Meek, Guardian journalist and author of 'We Are Now Beginning Our Descent'.