Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals FZE don file suit against Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and other companies over import licenses for petrol and other petroleum products. The lawsuit, which dey at a High Court in Abuja, seek to invalidate recent licenses wey Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) issue.
Dangote argue say the licenses wey NMDPRA give to NNPCL, Matrix Petroleum Services Limited, and other companies dey contravene the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). Dangote claim say their production capacity dey exceed Nigeria’s current daily petroleum product consumption, and that issuing import licenses to other companies dey threaten their business.
The lawsuit also include other defendants like A.Y.M. Shafa Holdings Limited, A. A. Rano Limited, T. Time Petroleum Limited, and 2015 Petroleum Limited. Dangote seek damages of N100 billion against NMDPRA for allegedly granting these licenses.
Dangote’s Group General Manager of Government and Strategic Relations, Ahmed Hashem, explain in a supporting affidavit that the import licenses granted to other companies by NMDPRA dey adversely affect Dangote’s business, which has received substantial financial investment in billions of US dollars.
Dangote also seek court order to stop NMDPRA from issuing or renewing import licenses to other companies for importing petroleum products. They argue that such licenses should only be issued in the event of a petroleum product shortfall.
However, despite these developments, there be no clear indication that the lawsuit will be withdrawn in January as suggested. The current status of the lawsuit remains that Dangote is seeking several reliefs, including a declaration that NMDPRA violates sections of the Petroleum Industry Act and an order to withdraw all import licenses issued to other companies.
