Abstract
The oil and gas sector is at the core of the political economy in Nigeria, but it is characterizd by a deep set of structural inequalities that define labour relations and working conditions. This article comprehensively reviews the asymmetrical power relations theoretically and the various processes by which enslavement-like labour conditions are created and maintained within the sector. The paper relies on modern literature in political economy, unfree labour theory, and analysis of state-corporate power to analyse the intersectionality between global production networks, labour contracting regimes and weak regulatory governance to limit the agency of workers. The review shows that outsourcing, contractualisation and casualisation are practices that institutionalize the power imbalances and legitimize economic coercion, job insecurity and limited choice. It argues that these inherent conditions and contradictions are not merely incidental but are deliberately crafted and structurally embedded in extractive capitalism and reinforced by state–corporate alliances and regulatory capture. The article adds to discussions surrounding modern slavery and labour governance through the conceptualisation of enslavement as a modern, systemic process in legally constituted industries and implications to labour rights and development in resource-dependent economies.