A new empirical study on oil and gas in Nigeria, which serves as a useful general introduction to many aspects of the country's oil and gas industries and related laws. Contents: introductions - definitions, importance, the international oil industry, how oil was found; the Nigerian oil industry: historical perspectives and acts of law; legislation governing the industry; ownership of oil and gas - ownership theories in the oil and gas industries, sovereignty over natural resources and international law; contracts for exploration and production; the natural gas industry; fiscal matters pertaining to the petroleum industry; OPEC; national oil corporations and the Nigerian Petroleum Corporation; downstream oil and gas law and policy; trade in crude oil and products; environmental issues; oil community issues; topical issues in the petroleum industry - e.g. acquisitions of technology, indigenous oil companies; nationalisation and privatisation; and dispute settlements. Yinka Omorogbe is a lecturer in law at the Universities of Benin and Lagos, Nigeria.