Against the news circulating on the social media that 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) and others, the group has refuted the allegations.
In a press statement released, Dangote affirmed that there is “No fresh case filed against NNPCL and others.”
The case centered 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.
The affidavit from Dangote Refinery Group stated that the import licenses issued to other companies are detrimental to Dangote’s business, which has invested billions of dollars into production. The company claimed that these actions have resulted in a lack of patronage for Dangote’s products.
However, the Group Chief Branding and Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina clarified that the news in circulation is an old one and the group does have any intention of doing so, as the proceedings have been stopped.
According to Chiejina: “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 the President Bola Tinubu directive on Crude Oil and Refined Product sales in naira initiative, which was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)
“We have made tremendous progress in that regard and event 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 effect on any party, we understand that once the matter comes up in January 2025, we will be in a position to formerly withdraw the matter in court.” He confirmed.
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