The Dangote Petroleum Refinery has denied claims of initiating a new lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, and other fuel marketers to revoke their licenses for fuel importation.
According to the refinery, the formal process to withdraw the existing case will begin in January 2025.
This was confirmed by the Group’s Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, in a statement on Monday. He was responding to reports of a lawsuit allegedly filed at the Federal High Court to halt fuel importation by oil marketers and NNPCL.
Chiejina clarified that the lawsuit is not a fresh case but stems from an issue that began in June and was officially filed on September 6, 2024. He added that developments, such as the “naira for crude” sales initiative, have rendered the matter outdated and it will soon be withdrawn.
The statement, titled “No Fresh Case Filed Against NNPCL and Others,” also highlighted that discussions between the parties are ongoing, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive on crude oil and refined products transactions in naira.
The statement read, “This is an old issue that started in June and culminated in a matter being filed on September 6, 2024
“Currently, the parties are in discussion since President Bola Tinubu’s directive on crude oil and refined products sales in the Naira Initiative, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council.
“We have made tremendous progress in that regard and events have overtaken this development.
“No party has been served with court processes and there is no intention of doing so. We have agreed to put a halt to the proceedings.
“It is important to stress that no orders have been made and there are no adverse effects on any party. We understand that once the matter comes up in January 2025, we will be in a position to formally withdraw the matter in court.”
