A Swamp Full of Dollars: Pipelines and Paramilitaries at Nigeria's Oil Frontier [Hardcover]

'A compelling and well-written account. In this long awaited book, Peel has told the history of Nigeria and oil in a way that makes this important subject accessible to all. In doing so, he has done a service to everyone who is interested in development and in Africa' --Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel Laureate, Economics, 2001

'...a compelling journey through the oil-filled chaos of present-day Nigeria' --Louis Theroux

'A fascinating insight into Africa's wild west' --Giles Foden

Most Westerners are terrified of Nigeria. Journalist Michael Peel, in contrast, clearly revels in the country's rich 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 Lagos 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 world's 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'.

Nigeria is a country where petroleum and polio have both boomed, where small villages challenge giant oil companies, and scooter drivers run their own mini-state. The crude-rich Niger Delta region at the heart of it all is a troublespot as hot as the local pepper soup. Through a host of characters, from the Area Boy gangsters of Lagos to the civil war general with a penchant for 19th century British poetry, Peel tells the story of this extraordinary country and how it has been shaped by the oil that pumps through western cities. Weaving reportage, oral history and investigative journalism, Peel illustrates the dark side of the global oil economy, and the unseen consequences of reckless resource extraction.

Michael Peel is a Financial Times journalist who has developed a fascination with west Africa, oil and financial crime especially when the three are combined. The genesis of A Swamp Full of Dollars was Peel's stint between 2002 and 2005 as the FT's west Africa correspondent, based in Lagos, Nigeria. He has since returned several times to the oil-rich region to research his book. Peel has been with the Financial Times since 1997. In 2000 he won a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust traveling fellowship to report on multinationals and the environment in Madagascar, Papua New Guinea and eastern India. Since 2006 Peel has been the FT's legal correspondent, covering, among other things, corporate corruption and other aspects of financial crime. His reporting from Africa has appeared in various publications, including The New Republic, the London Review of Books and Granta magazine.