Cultural heritage legislation and management commenced in Nigeria seventy years ago. Nonetheless, the Nigerian commission for museums and monuments remains a marginal institution without adequate resources to manage and protect the country's cultural heritage. The consolidating legislation of 1979 was hurriedly enacted and has many defects. The sanctions and protective measures enshrined in the Act are now hopelessly inadequate. In short, the legislation is in need of urgent revision and re-enactment. The cultural heritage managers need to evince a greater commitment and a higher sense of probity than hitherto in order to have a comprehensive cultural heritage management programme for the country. Cultural heritage management in Nigeria today is neither well organized nor co-ordinated. The authorities must appreciate that cultural heritage management has an ideological basis, which is sustaining the cultural identity of a people.

This article describes the removal of Canova's sculpture, The Three Graces, from Woburn Abbey and the British laws that determined its subsequent treatment and ownership. In this case, the group of laws intended to protect the integrity of Woburn Abbey's Sculpture Gallery was deemed to be less important than the goal of retaining the sculpture within the country. It is therefore necessary to examine the relationship between the object and the building and the effectiveness of the laws designed to preserve objects and buildings for the benefit of the public. This article examines the implications of the laws regulating the preservation of historic buildings and the export of works of art for definitions of cultural property and national patrimony.

The Sultanate of Oman has enacted a modern and detailed statute protecting its cultural heritage. It is one of the newest and most modern pieces of legislation within the Arab world and provides broad protection for the rich cultural heritage of the country. The enactment of the statute and its application to protect culture and the nation's cultural heritage became an important political aim, and the year 1994 was officially declared as the “Year of National Heritage”.