DANGOTE Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals has filed a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Abuja requesting the annulment of import licenses granted to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, AA Rano Limited, and four other companies.
The case centred on the importation of refined petroleum products that Dangote Refinery claimed were already being produced domestically without shortages.
In the suit, Dangote Refinery is also demanding ₦100bn in damages from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
The refinery alleged that the NMDPRA has unlawfully continued to issue import licenses to the NNPCL, Matrix Energy, and others for products like diesel and jet fuel, despite Dangote’s production capacity exceeding Nigeria’s current daily consumption of these products.
The defendants in the case include NMDPRA, NNPCL, A.Y.M Shafa Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, 2015 Petroleum Limited, and Matrix Petroleum Services Limited.
In its originating summons, Dangote argued that the NMDPRA has violated sections 317(8) and (9) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by issuing import licenses under circumstances where no product shortfall exists.
The refinery contended that such licenses should only be granted when there is a demonstrated need for imported products.
Source: News Point Nigeria