The hearing of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE’s ₦100 billion case against several oil marketers was postponed until January 30 by the Federal High Court in Abuja on January 20, 2025.
Dangote Refinery filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), and oil marketing firms AYM Shafa Limited, A.A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
According to the refinery, the NMDPRA’s granting of import licenses to these organisations violates Sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which stipulate that licenses of this kind must only be issued in cases where there is an established shortage of local supply.
Dangote Refinery wants a court judgment to void the current import licenses and ₦100 billion in damages, claiming that the ongoing granting of these licenses hinders domestic refining operations.
The court postponed the case throughout the hearings so that all parties could receive the court documents properly.
The oil marketers and other defendants have filed motions to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming that Dangote Refinery lacks the legal standing to contest the import licenses because they were granted legally.
