Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE has approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to invalidate the import licenses granted to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, and four other companies for importing refined petroleum products that are already produced by Dangote without any shortfall.
In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1324/2024, Dangote Refinery is also seeking N100 billion in damages from the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for allegedly continuing to issue import licenses for petroleum products like Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) and Jet Fuel, despite Dangote’s capacity to meet the country’s demand. According to the refinery, “the production of AGO and Jet-A1 by the Dangote Refinery exceeds the current daily consumption of petroleum products in Nigeria.”
The NMDPRA, along with NNPCL, Aym Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, are named as defendants.
In an originating summons dated September 6, 2024, exclusively obtained by Nairametrics, the refinery’s counsel, Ogwu James Onoja, SAN, argued that the NMDPRA violated Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing import licenses that should only be granted in
